Marco Silva has '100 per cent' belief Fulham can knock Manchester United out of FA Cup

Fulham head coach Marco Silva admitted that Manchester United are the favourites ahead of their FA Cup quarter-final tie but is adamant that his team are capable of causing an upset.

The newly promoted side sits ninth in the Premier League table as the March international break approaches, two points above West London rivals Chelsea. Like United, their somewhat secure league position sees the cup competitions become all the more important over the coming few months.

Both eliminated top-flight opposition in the fifth round and must do so again to reach the semi-finals. Based on the sole league encounter of the season, it will be a tough test for manager Erik ten Hag's team, as only a last-minute Alejandro Garnacho goal separated the two in November.

READ MORE: Ten Hag won't repeat what Jose Mourinho did five years ago

Unsurprisingly after such a season, Silva is bullish about believing in Fulham. “If you ask me if I believe? 100 per cent, I believe,” he said.

“I don’t like to talk about the ‘ifs’. We have to prove on the pitch that we can do it. I’m not saying that we are dreaming of it. I believe we can do it if we are at our best level, with full respect to Manchester United. They are the favourites, at home, they’ve won the Carabao Cup. But if you ask me, ‘can we do it?’ 100 per cent. If it will happen or not, we have to wait.”

The Fulham boss spoke about idols in light of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola doing the same earlier this week but joked: "I will not mention Julia Roberts", before going on to mention legendary basketball player Michael Jordan.

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