LONDON (AP):

Manchester United's chances of winning an unprecedented five trophies this season could unravel tomorrow when they play a FA Cup quarter-final match at Fulham.

Manager Alex Ferguson has sounded confident about the prospects of retaining the Premier League title for the third straight year, but has sounded less bullish when it comes to adding football's oldest trophy to the Club World Cup and League Cup his players have already won.

"It would be great to think we could do it," said Ferguson, whose team is also trying to retain the Champions League title, "but my experience says we could go to Fulham, get a deflected shot off someone's backside and we're out."

Ferguson's pessimism is understandable after last season. United won both the Premier League and Champions League titles, but were beaten by Portsmouth 1-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals despite dominating the eventual winners throughout the match.

Never been done before

Besides, no English club has ever won the five trophies in a single season. Even Chelsea, who are at Coventry in tomorrow's other quarter-final match, have never come close, despite owner Roman Abramovich's riches.

United are seven points clear at the top of the Premier League and have not lost in the competition since November, but Fulham had been in good form until letting in an injury-time goal to lose to Hull 1-0 Wednesday.

Fulham controlled the match and missed chances by Bobby Zamora, Andy Johnson, Clint Dempsey and Simon Davies, but is still 10th in the Premier League and could even beat its best ever finish of ninth place.

"The team will now need lifting for United," Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said. "There's no worse way to lose a game than to play well, stare at a 0-0 draw when you think we should have scored and then to lose in the 92nd minute."

Key players

Ferguson will shake up his line-up again to make sure key players are available for Wednesday's crucial Champions League match against Inter Milan and next weekend's Premier League meeting with third-place Liverpool.

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink will make his FA Cup debut tomorrow with his new team just two wins away from appearing in the May 30 final at Wembley.

Hiddink has four wins from four matches since taking over and could strengthen his team further against League Championship side Coventry.

Midfielder Michael Essien and defender Ricardo Carvalho could be recalled after continuing their comeback from injury by playing in a reserve game, while Nicolas Anelka may be back from a toe injury.

"Essien played a full game, he got some good contacts, some tackling which is giving him a lot of confidence when he is not having problems after," Hiddink said. "And Ricardo played as planned 60 minutes. He has to get a little more confidence because this injury is difficult."

There is another quarter-final match Sunday with Everton hosting Middlesbrough, while Arsenal host Burnley in a rescheduled fifth-round match that needs completing before the fourth quarter-final game can be held.

Arsenal ended a run of four straight 0-0 Premier League draws with Wednesday's 3-1 win at West Bromwich Albion and could get another boost with the recall of Theo Walcott and Eduardo da Silva. Walcott has not played since dislocating his shoulder in November, while Eduardo hurt his hamstring after scoring twice last month in his comeback from a year out injured.

"I will see how they look tomorrow and Saturday but they will certainly be in the squad, especially Theo," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "We have to wait and see how Eduardo reacts and responds to his injury."

Everton are favoured to win their quarter-final match after losing just one of their past 14 games despite a shortage of strikers. They will be without forward Victor Anichebe after he was ruled out for the season with a knee injury, but Boro lost at Tottenham 4-0 Wednesday and is one of the teams fighting Premier League relegation.

Tottenham are at Sunderland tomorrow in the weekend's only Premier League match, knowing victory would take them into the top half of the table for the first time this season.