Fulham manager Roy Hodgson says that the Swans would be nearer the bottom of the Premiership

Hodgson will send his Fulham side out against Swansea City on Saturday with a place in the quarter finals of the FA Cup up for grabs as the Swans look to secure a big payday.

And with the hosts on the edge of the Championship play off zone there is a growing belief that this time next year this could be a league fixture - less than 10 years since both sides found themselves rooted in the bottom tier of English football.

The last time the two sides met in this competition, Fulham won 7-0 against a then higher division Swans but there is never going to be a repeat of that scoreline tomorrow.

Hodgson is not dismissive of the Swans chances of promotion but believes that they would find a big step up between Championship and Premier League and told the Evening Post "I don't think the gap makes much of a difference

"Look at the results in games this season involving Championship teams even against top Premier League sides.

"Look at Cardiff-Arsenal, Derby-Manchester United and Swansea-Portsmouth, and I don't think you are looking at a vast difference in one-off matches.

"I think probably over a full season the strength in depth of the Premier League teams and the fact that they play every week at a more intense level might have an effect.

"I think if Swansea were in the Premier League they might not be in the top four and they might be closer to the bottom.

"But, having said that, in a one-off game like this it makes no difference. In fact it can even go the other way because they have so much to play for.

"With the bragging rights on offer in the cup, it can work against you.

"The cup's important to us and we would love to go as far as we can," added Hodgson. "We have got a third draw away from home (in a row), but the lads feel they have the ability and the quality to continue in the competition.

"I'm delighted that we're still in the cup and we will look optimistically towards the game believing we can go further."

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