Newcastle handed trip to Stamford Bridge

League champions Chelsea were handed a home tie against Newcastle United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in yesterday's draw.

Chelsea, hoping for a treble of league, Champions League and FA Cup, are the favourites to triumph in the world's oldest cup competition and face a Newcastle side seeking their first FA Cup triumph since they won it for the sixth time in 1955.

Liverpool, who ended an 85-year jinx by knocking out Manchester United on Saturday, visit Birmingham City, who will be hoping to end their own 75-year jinx against Liverpool in the competition, having been knocked out by them three times since their only win in 1931.

Birmingham are also in the last eight for the first time in 22 years and bidding to get to the semis for the first time since 1975.

Charlton Athletic, whose only FA Cup final victory came in 1947, are at home to Middlesbrough, who have never won the Cup.

The other tie depends on two replays as either Aston Villa or Manchester City will host Bolton Wanderers or West Ham United.

It is the first time since 1996 that all eight quarter-finalists are from the Premier League.

The FA Cup represents a last chance of a trophy this season for Newcastle and the last opportunity for their retiring captain Alan Shearer to win anything in his 10 year-stint with his hometown club.

Newcastle, runners-up in 1998 and 1999, are struggling in the league and sacked manager Graeme Souness earlier this month.

But they were convincing 1-0 winners over second division Southampton on Saturday - their third successive victory since Glenn Roeder and Shearer began to manage the side on a caretaker basis.

Newcastle did knock Chelsea out of the FA Cup last year when a goal from now-departed Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert gave them a 1-0 win at St James' Park.

However, they have not won at Stamford Bridge for 20 years and their last four league visits there have resulted in defeats of 3-0, 5-0, 4-0 and 3-0.

Should Chelsea continue the trend next month they will remain on course for a possible final showdown with Liverpool.

The teams have met nine times in the last two seasons, in the league, Champions League and the 2005 League Cup final, with Liverpool winning only once.

The European champions, however, are by no means guaranteed of progress against Birmingham, who have become something of a bogey side for them recently.

Liverpool were held to home and away draws by the Premier League strugglers this season, most recently a 1-1 Anfield result earlier this month, and lost to them twice last season.

Instead of the traditional weekend fixtures the quarter-final games will be evening kick-offs from Monday to Thursday in the week beginning Monday March 20, as part of a plan to shorten the season to give the England squad more time to prepare for the World Cup.

The FA has yet to confirm the venue for the May 13 final, with the new Wembley struggling to be ready in time and Cardiff's Millennium Stadium looking ever more likely to be called upon again.