Tired Berbatov facing FA Cup rest

Martin Jol is ready to risk Fulham’s place in the FA Cup by leaving Dimitar Berbatov out of tomorrow’s third-round replay at Blackpool.

Jol confirmed his determination to make Fulham a force in the Cup when he named his strongest team to face Blackpool 10 days ago.

The subsequent draw with the Championship side was disappointing but it was not as much of a blow as Saturday’s stalemate against Wigan in the League. Fulham are just six points off the relegation zone with games against both Manchester sides to come in the next three weeks.

Berbatov (above) has started the last 16 games and looked tired against Wigan, leaving Jol to admit: “We have a decision to make. Do we play a different team at Blackpool or do we play with a strong team again?”

“I still feel that it is very important to stay in the Cup. I try to play the best team all the time but we may need to change the team for Blackpool, to give players like Berbatov a rest.”