West Ham cup match to be played on Saturday while Hammers distance themselves from Adriano

West Ham FA Cup tie with high-flying Arsenal will take place on Sunday, January 3 and will be live on ITV1.

In what is undeniably the tie of the round the game was always likely to be on the Sunday.

Manager Gianfranco Zola admitted that he wishes his side could have drawn weaker opponents but is optimistic about their chances.

"This is a big month with some big games and that will continue in the new year.

"We have drawn Arsenal, which will get a lot of attention," he said.

"Maybe we could have been luckier with the draw, but there are no complaints.

"We will deal with it and they will not want to have been drawn against us either."

The club have once again denied persistent rumours that players will need to be sold to balance the books.

"We are not looking to sell our best players and we don't have to sell anyone," a club spokesman said.

The club have also denied that they have made enquiries about Brazilian striker Adriano.

"People are putting two and two together because he has said he would be interested to come to England. It is just speculation and we have five games left until January," the spokesman added.