Di Matteo eyes Friday FA Cup semi-final

The Blues take on Benfica in the first-leg of their quarter final tie on Tuesday and, should they overcome the Eagles, will come up against AC Milan or Barcelona for a place in the Munich showpiece.

The first leg of the semi-final would be played on Wednesday April 18, just three days after the FA Cup encounter with either Bolton or Spurs at Wembley.

And Di Matteo is hoping the cup clash could be moved forward to Friday April 13 in order to give his players more time to recover ahead of what could be a crunch clash in Europe's elite competition.

Tuesday's opponents Benfica and Napoli, who Chelsea overcame 5-4 on aggregate in the last 16, were both granted Friday night fixtures prior to their Champions League games.

And the Italian has called on Premier League clubs to receive more backing if they are to triumph in Europe.

"Absolutely, we need [the support from the FA] because it doesn't help English teams in the Champions League," said Di Matteo.

"Benfica played on Friday night, so did Napoli. Their leagues try to give them the best possible advantage.

"We are engaged on this matter but, ultimately, someone has to make the decision."

Nick Moore

Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.