Police on high alert for FA Cup showdown between Chelsea and Leeds at Wembley

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Police have been placed on high alert ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup semi final showdown with bitter rivals Leeds.

The two sides will clash at Wembley on the weekend of April 25/26 to do battle for a place in the final. And the authorities are desperate for the game to pass off without crowd trouble.

It's understood West Yorkshire Police will liaise closely with counterparts from the Metropolitan Police in London, to discuss the policing measures around the fixture.

Recent fixtures between the two clubs have taken place without incident. Leeds took 6,000 supporters to Stamford Bridge for the Premier League fixture in February, when there was no trouble.

While the reverse game at Elland Road before Christmas was also trouble free. But police are well aware of the historic rivalry that exists between Chelsea and Leeds fans.

And with the semi final being a high-profile game, extra officers will be deployed in a bid to control the behaviour of both sets of supporters.

It will be Leeds' first FA Cup semi final for 39 years. Leeds' two previous visits to Wembley have been for games against Southampton and Doncaster.

So the issue of potential crowd trouble has not been a problem. But Leeds know a meeting with Chelsea cannot be treated in the same way.

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Leeds are expecting a ticket allocation of 32,000, but appreciate there is a good chance more supporters could travel to the capital without tickets. And club officials will meet with West Yorkshire Police to discuss how the day will be controlled.

In the 1970s and 80s the rivalry between the two clubs often spilled out on the terraces at the height of British football hooliganism.

Chelsea's 'Headhunters' and the Leeds 'Service Crew' were among the most notorious football firms in English football - and has numerous violent encounters with each other.