Flores: Watford have the belief to win the FA Cup

Rob Conlon
Quique Sanchez Flores: Wary of young United

Quique Sanchez Flores: Wary of young United

Quique Sanchez Flores believes Watford could win the FA Cup this season ahead of his side’s fifth-round clash with Leeds United.

The Hornets have impressed on their return to the Premier League and Flores is also out to make an impact in the cup, intending to field a strong team against the Championship side.

When asked if Watford could win the competition, Flores said: “Why not? We have the feeling that we can do something interesting in this competition. We pick good players, we play well, we haven’t been conceding goals which shows we are taking it seriously.

“You need to focus just on the next game, we are now focused on Leeds. We chose the right players, we respect the competition, we respect the fans and the history of the club so we will try and put our best team out.

“The fans want to go through to the next round. We have a good opportunity, we are playing at home, we have the opportunity to play with our fans, we try to accept this challenge.”

Watford are on 36 points in the league and all but certain to stay up, but, if Flores rings the changes for the Leeds clash, he says it will not be because he is taking the cup lightly.

“We are mixing well in both competitions, the league is our priority of course, but now we are able to play in the FA Cup and the focus is for that,” he said.

“We have a squad of 25 players, they train very well and they all deserve to play. We have the confidence in these players.”

Watford have never won the FA Cup, reaching the final in 1984 under Graham Taylor when they lost 2-0 to Everton.

Flores added: “I can feel that the fans love this competition because everyone around football can feel how important this cup is in English football.

“It is an amazing experience, so it is important to respect the competition and I would like to equal the experiences of the club in 1984 when they played in the final against Everton.

“When I was living in Spain and other countries, always when I had the (FA Cup) final on you could feel the history. Even when I was younger, this unique match we could watch and it was amazing.”