Jose Mourinho tells Chelsea side to forget FA Cup shock ahead of Capital One Cup tie

• e-mail

Jose Mourinho has refused to dwell on Chelsea's disgraceful FA Cup exit to Bradford as he eyes a Wembley final at the expense of Liverpool.

Mourinho, who on Monday celebrated his 52nd birthday, labelled last Saturday's loss to League One Bradford a 'disgrace' and 'unacceptable' after the Blues led 2-0 only to fall to a 4-2 defeat.

Chelsea face Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night with their Capital One Cup semi-final poised at 1-1 after the first leg and Mourinho has quickly recalibrated.

Jose Mourinho (centre) wants his side to move on from the disappointment of going out of the FA Cup

Chelsea manager (right) tried to shake hands with Bradford manager  Phil Parkinson (centre) before the end 

'The next game is the most important one,' Mourinho said on chelseafc.com.

'We need to forget this one (Bradford) and start the next game in a different competition, and I know we are one victory away from playing a final.

'It's the good thing about playing consecutive matches without many days in between.

Petr Cech looks on after being beaten by a thunderous Jon Stead strike just before half-time

'It's the good thing that, when you lose, you have to focus immediately on the next game.

'You don't have a lot of time to be moaning or analysing what happened in the bad one. Let's move and let's think about the next one.

'At the end of May, beginning of June, we don't go to Wembley to play the FA Cup final, that's for sure.

'The FA Cup is finished for us. We don't go there even to play the FA Cup semi-final. It's over for us.

'To go there - and I think that should mean a lot to everyone - the last chance we have is this one, to play there in the Capital One Cup final.'

Bradford's Filipe Morais celebrates after equalising against Chelsea - who released him as a youngster

Mourinho is likely to revert to his first-choice players in a key week for Chelsea as holders Manchester City visit the leaders in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

Having seen their challenge for an unprecedented quadruple ended by Bradford, Chelsea know they must perform at their best to keep alive their remaining hopes of silverware.

Didier Drogba, one of the players who failed to see off Bradford, believes the game-by-game approach of his manager is the right one.

Didier Drogba was unable to find the scoresheet on Saturday but hopes that Chelsea can bounce back

'Of course everything is capable this season, but at the same time, you can lose everything, like on Saturday,' said Drogba, who on Sunday collected the 2015 Football Writers' Association Tribute Award at a gala dinner in London.

'We need to stay focused on what we want to achieve, but also at the same time we have to take it game by game from now until the end of the season, because this is the part of the season where everything is decided more and matters.

'After a defeat, you always want to bounce back and that is what we hope to do.' 

Saturday's match is likely to feature Frank Lampard, Chelsea's record goalscorer, returning to Stamford Bridge in the light blue of City.

Frank Lampard set to return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since leaving the club in the summer

Lampard spent 13 years at Chelsea, many of them alongside Drogba, with the pair instrumental in many successes, not least three Premier League titles and a Champions League success.

Lampard's Chelsea contract was not renewed last summer and he signed for Major League Soccer's New York City FC, only to then join City on a short-term deal which has been extended until the end of the season due to his fine form.

The 36-year-old former England international, who scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season, will be aiming to help second-placed City narrow the five-point gap with a win at his old hunting ground. 

Lampard scored a spectacular 147 goals for Chelsea during his 13 years at the club 

'I hope he is going to get the best reception like I had last year when I came to the Bridge with Galatasaray because that is the least he deserves,' Drogba added.

'I am not surprised by what he has done at Manchester City this season.

'I think he is a professional and that is how he was when he played for Chelsea and why I have so much respect for him and what he is doing there.

'For a fantastic player like him, he can play anywhere so that is why I am not surprised by his current form.'