Warnock has preference for Chelsea

Neil Warnock hopes to face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals after his Sheffield United side were yesterday drawn against the winner's of the quarter-final replay between Claudio Ranieri's team and Arsenal.

The Blades moved into the last four with a 1-0 win against Leeds on Sunday and their manager said: "I love [Gianfranco] Zola and I'd like to get his shirt, so from a personal point of view I would like to play Chelsea. I think Chelsea have got some great players and I don't think the replay is cut and dried, with Arsenal winning, as some people seem to think.

"If it is Arsenal we play, I think Arsène Wenger will probably play his reserves, so we'll have a great chance! It's not a foregone conclusion, but I'm more concerned with trying to get there [the Millennium Stadium] for the play-offs."

Wenger greeted the draw with caution, describing Sheffield United as "a team with a positive attitude. They are technically good and prepared to go forward. But let's play Chelsea again first before we think about them."

The Watford manager, Ray Lewington, said his side's passage to the semi-finals was something his club had "prayed for", with only Southampton standing between them and the final after their 2-0 quarter-final win over Burnley.

"Financially, it's unbelievable. The Cup run has been worth around £1m all in all, and it'll be roughly the same again for the semi-final," he said. "It could mean that we can keep a player we may have had to lose, and also some of the players and staff who made the 12 per cent sacrifice in wages may get their money back."

Southampton's manager, Gordon Strachan, insisted his team would not take their First Division opponents lightly. "We will give them every respect," he said. "They have already beaten two Premiership sides in West Brom and Sunderland."

The England coach, Sven Goran Eriksson, who made the draw, sounded a note of caution regarding Arsenal's chances. "In wanting to win the Champions' League, the League and FA Cup, it might be too many games for them," he said.

The semi-finals on 13 April fall days before England's European Championship games with Liechtenstein and Turkey, and Eriksson voiced sympathy when asked about calls from the Arsenal camp for replays to be done away with, replying: "Possibly... I can understand there is a lot of money involved and the FA Cup is very important, but, if I could choose, then yes."

FA CUP SEMI-FINAL DRAW
Arsenal or Chelsea v Sheffield United
Southampton v Watford

Ties to be played on Sunday 13 April at neutral venues to be announced.

Chelsea v Arsenal quarter-final replay at Stamford Bridge on 25 March.