Barnsley v Chelsea
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Sixth Round Proper
5.30pm, Saturday 8 March 2008
Oakwell, Barnsley FC
Winning clubs will receive £300,000 from The FA
The FA Live TV fee is £265,000 per club
Recent FA Cup Results - Results



After winning 36 England caps, a League title and a League Cup, you can imagine Graeme Le Saux rocking back in quiet satisfaction when he reflects on his distinguished career.

But there's still one thing that niggles at him - not winning The FA Cup - and that's despite Chelsea reaching two Finals during his time at Stamford Bridge.

The defender could only look on in 2000 - injury reduced Le Saux to a spectator for much of that season - as Chelsea lifted The Cup courtesy of Roberto Di Matteo's second half strike against Aston Villa.

Le Saux played in The Final two years later but Arsenal were the team celebrating at the Millennium Stadium after Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg fired in spectacularly. While the Gunners danced around with The Cup, Le Saux and his dejected team-mates cut forlorn figures on the Cardiff turf.

"It's the only domestic honour I didn't win," he rued. "I missed The Final in 2000 with an injury when Chelsea beat Aston Villa in the last one held at the old Wembley but I played against Arsenal two years later, when we lost 2-0."

Despite not managing to hold the trophy aloft to the screaming fans, Le Saux is still seduced by the romance which surrounds the most famous domestic cup competition in the world.

From his early days of watching The Final on TV to playing in the showpiece event, the competition will always be close to his heart.

"The FA Cup means a lot," he said. "It's one of the gems of football in this country. It's a great competition, one of the most important. In the changing world of football it's important we respect the history of The Cup.

"It's a competition I grew up with. I remember watching The Cup Final on TV when I was a kid - you used to have 'It's a Knockout' on in the morning. I'm showing my age there. It's a massive thing to win."

Le Saux's former team Chelsea are FA Cup holders following a narrow win over Manchester United in the first Final played at the new Wembley Stadium.

The Blues look a decent bet to return to the national stadium to defend their crown but must contend with Cup giant-killers Barnsley first.

Le Saux has fond memories of playing against The Tykes but expects Chelsea to have a sterner examination than the one he had at Oakwell in 1997.

"The last time we played Barnsley we beat them 6-0," he recalled. "Gianluca Vialli scored four times - I remember feeling quite sorry for them as they had just got promoted. We played really well and pulled them to pieces.

"I think this game will be a difficult one for Chelsea. You have to expect Barnsley to be aggressive and fly out of the traps. They will be looking at Tottenham's win in the Carling Cup and picking out ways they can beat Chelsea.

"They have a chance to win, but the sensible money would be on Chelsea. They are hard to beat, very disciplined and have enough flair to create goalscoring chances. They don't need to turn in a classic game to win. If they get an early goal I can see them winning easily."