Fulham Manager Chris Coleman refused to apologise after confirming he will field a weakened side in the FA Cup third round clash with Watford on Saturday.

The trip to Vicarage Road has arrived in the middle of a critical run of games for the Cottagers as they battle to preserve their Barclays Premiership status.

Victory over Crystal Palace and a draw with Southampton have nudged Fulham towards safety but it is imperative they claim a full return against bottom club West Brom next weekend.

With that in mind, Coleman has chosen to rest Papa Bouba Diop and Zesh Rehman against Watford as both players are on four bookings and one yellow card shy of suspension.

It is a decision which will disappoint champions of the FA Cup but Coleman insists it is a simple case of prioritising - with Premiership survival the number one objective.

The former Welsh international said: "We're not in the top six or eight of the Premiership - we're at the other end and we need points.

"With the injuries we have, if I lose another two or three players we're down to the bare bones and I can't allow us to get into that situation.

"We'll be playing the strongest available team without being silly.

"I just think it's common sense not to play guys on four yellow cards when we have West Brom the weekend after.

"West Brom is a massive game because in our position Premiership points are the priority.

"Of course we want to do well in the FA Cup and beat Watford. But our main focus is the league."

The FA Cup would have been the ideal place to restore club captain Lee Clark to the starting line-up after a long-term calf problem had robbed Fulham of one of their most influential players for the first half of the season.

But Clark will sit on the bench tomorrow for the third match in succession with Coleman admitting his eagerness to see the former Newcastle midfielder return to the squad proving costly.

He said: "I talked to Lee this morning and I felt a bit guilty.

"I wanted him to return as soon as possible because I knew he would provide the dressing room with a lift - he's been fantastic before the last two games.

"But he's missed out on a couple of reserve games and that was me being selfish because I wanted him in the dressing room.

"I knew he wasn't 100% match fit and that's why he's not starting tomorrow.

"If he'd been allowed to have two or three more reserve games I would probably have started him against Watford, but he missed out."

Newcastle's interest in Luis Boa Morte will not prevent the Portuguese international from taking his place in the starting line-up.

Boa Morte was on Friday revealed as a Newcastle target by manager Graeme Souness but Coleman has declared the player is not for sale and is close to signing a new contract with Fulham.

Watford Manager Ray Lewington believes his team's excellent record in cup competitions could give them an edge over Barclays Premiership club Fulham.

Watford take on Chris Coleman's men in the FA Cup third round having reached the last four of the competition in 2002/03 - and having progressed to the semi-finals of this season's Carling Cup.

And Lewington urged his players to draw on those experiences against Fulham at Vicarage Road.

"I think Fulham will get a bit nervous when they look at our cup record," said Lewington.

"We have beaten Southampton and Portsmouth in the Carling Cup this season, and we drew 2-2 with Chelsea in last year's third round - we almost beat them.

"Fulham will not see this as an easy game. They will expect to win, but they know they will be in a game."

The tie is particularly special for Lewington, who enjoyed spells as a player and as a player-manager with Fulham.

Indeed, he began his managerial career at Craven Cottage, taking charge of the club between 1986 and 1990 in the old Division Three.

"I spent the majority of my career there, so it is fantastic to be drawn against them," admitted Lewington.

"I am very pleased that their fortunes have turned around to such a degree since I was there."

But this season has not been an enjoyable one for Fulham. They are 15th in the Premiership, having won only six of their 22 matches this term.

Lewington admits readily that Watford's 5-2 win over Southampton in the Carling Cup was born largely of Saints' chronic lack of confidence at that stage of the campaign.

And with Fulham in a similar, if not equally drastic, situation, Lewington is eyeing a repeat of that fantastic victory on November 9.

He continued: "You look at the season they have had, and you think about confidence. Confidence is at least 20 per cent of any performance.

"I saw Fulham's recent draw at Southampton, and they did not relax in that match.

"They were always edgy, because it was a game they could not afford to lose.

"I look back to our win over Southampton, and I remember their nervousness that night. If a side is not doing well in the Premiership, there will always be an element of doubt in the players' minds when they take on a Championship side."

Lewington's own team are some way from their best form, having won only one league match since October 30.

He does not believe his players have raised their collective level for cup matches - but he accepts that these games get the pulses racing.

"There is a special atmosphere around cup matches. The adrenalin starts flowing, and you find that extra half-yard," Lewington added.

"You need all these things to build up a cup game."