Hughes questions semi-final venue

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Ticket sales for both semis have been sluggish, with the Times reporting 16,000 tickets remain unsold for Rovers' clash with the Blues, while the paper also says that Watford have been left with 1,500 of their allocation for the meeting with Manchester United.

Hughes said: "Maybe you have to look at the choice of venue, fantastic as it is. If it had been at the City of Manchester Stadium it would probably be full."

Blackburn have sold 23,000 tickets from their 30,000 allocation and Hughes said: "We will still have a fantastic following, probably more than our average home gate, and maybe more than Chelsea. We have been delighted with the amount of tickets we have sold and the support we have."

Hughes understands why a number of fans from both sides are staying away.

He added: "It is an expensive business watching football. The FA set the prices and we have to be led by them. By all accounts the £25 tickets went very quickly. The £55 ones haven't gone as quickly - so that tells the story."

Mike Graham, of the Blackburn Independent Supporters Association, has echoed Hughes' thoughts, claiming he is not surprised by the low take-up from Rovers fans.

"It`s a low-wage area," he told the Times. "Even forking out £25 per ticket is a lot, never mind £55."

There have been worries that the slow uptake could mean empty seats when the semi-finals revert to their traditional home of Wembley stadium - with its capacity of 90,000 - next year. But the Football Association do not anticipate any such problems.

An FA spokesman is reported as saying: "We are confident we will see big crowds at Wembley for the semi-finals. We want to make the semi-finals as accessible to as many fans as possible and Old Trafford is the biggest club ground in the country."