Chelsea v Manchester United
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
The Final
3pm, Saturday 19 May 2007
Wembley Stadium
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Full match details, click here

Joe Cole goes into this weekend’s mammoth clash against Manchester United more fired up than ever before - because he is The FA Cup’s biggest fan.

The England midfielder has loved the competition ever since he was a boy and has even been to Wembley to watch several Cup Finals as a fan.

Now he has jumped to the defence of the greatest Cup competition in the world by lauging off suggestions that Chelsea see it only as a consolation prize after losing the league to their deadly rivals at Old Trafford.

He said: "A consolation prize? The FA Cup? No, no. I value it as high as the Premier League and as high as the Champions League. You see how many people will be watching the game on Saturday around the world and you'll see what I mean.

"It’s a massive game and we’re looking to win it. It’s the two best sides in the country so that makes it extra special as well."

Chelsea are still smarting following a fortnight in which they lost a European Cup semi-final to Liverpool and then allowed their Premiership crown to be snatched away by United.

But they plan to end the season on a high.

Cole added: "It’s an important game for us on Saturday. It’s The FA Cup - there's not much more I can say. We’re focused on it and I want to win it.

"It's the first FA Cup at Wembley and the first one that we can win together, so it's huge.

"We can finish the season with two trophies and that would be a a big, big achievement for us.

"I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere at Wembley. I have been to a few Finals before as a fan. I have been to a Chelsea one when we’ve won and a Chelsea one when we’ve lost. So I’ve experienced both sides of it. And I’ll be doing everything I can out there to help us win the game and lift the trophy."

You can follow all the build-up to The Final on TheFA.com this week, you can also pre-order your copy of The FA Cup Final match programme, click here.