Brede Hangeland is hoping Fulham can put together a run in the FA Cup but knows the Whites will need to be at their best to see off in-form Charlton Athletic in the third round this afternoon.

The Norwegian centre back grew up watching the FA Cup as a youngster in his homeland and knows just how special the competition is. Hangeland is keen to enjoy a run in the competition, especially after Fulham’s early Europa League exit, but isn’t underestimating Chris Powell’s side, who currently lead League One.

It’s different opposition but it’s the FA Cup and that’s one of the good things about the FA Cup, getting teams from lower leagues against the Premier League. So I think we’re all well aware of how motivated they will be and how big a game it is for them – we need to make sure we do the job.

Charlton are top of their league and playing really well, they’ve lost something like two games in 24 – it’s a very impressive record and they look like a strong team so we’ve got to make sure that we’re well prepared. The most important thing for us is to focus on our game and if we play to the same standard as we played against Arsenal, we should win the game. It should be our approach to replicate the performance against Arsenal.

Going out of the Europa League means we’re in two competitions instead of three. None of these competitions are to be taken lightly so it would be really nice to get a good run in the FA Cup.

I remember growing up in Norway watching the FA Cup on TV and it was always a special occasion to watch that. So to be able to play in it is still a big thing. We want to go as far as we can, hopefully all the way. But to do that, we need to overcome this first game.