Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has stressed that the league remains Fulham's chief priority this season, despite seeing his team advance to the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.
The Cottagers defeated Notts County 4-0, with Simon Davies, Bobby Zamora, Damien Duff and Stefano Okaka netting to set up a quarter-final tie against Bolton or Tottenham.
Hodgson's men will be helped by Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool already being knocked out, and a potential clash between Manchester City and Chelsea would eliminate another remaining heavyweight.
"For the teams left, they won't regret three of the traditional top four in the country not being there,'' Hodgson said. "We think we have as good chance as the others. It's nice to have the lottery ticket because you cannot win the lottery without one.''
But Hodgson, despite his team currently lying 10th in the Premier League, still feels survival is his chief aim and reaching Europe like they have this year would be a bonus.
However,Fulham are now two matches from the final and could continue their remarkable turnaround in the two years since Hodgson's arrival.
"It would mean a lot to us,'' Hodgson said. "It would be another major step forward with the progression at the club. We'll be highly motivated and nervous about the quarter-final because we badly want a good result.
"There have been fewer winners of the FA Cup since the inauguration of the Premier League. It's wrong to compare the mythical Fulham teams of the 60s and 70s or even the showbiz teams when Rodney Marsh, George Best and Bobby Moore were playing in the same team.
"We have to be more journeyman-like in our approach because staying in the league is so important. It's not a case of Rodney Marsh doing a few tricks or George Best beating a man and having a rest for five minutes. That's not possible.
"Success is probably a continued presence in the Premier League, if we could go one step further that would be fantastic.''