Joint Barnet head coach Edgar Davids believes there is “something special” about the FA Cup as the Bees prepare to host Oxford United in the first round tomorrow.

The former Juventus and Barcelona midfielder has never appeared in the competition despite spending two seasons at Tottenham Hotspur.

However, he believes that the FA Cup is has an allure that is not matched in Italy or Spain.

“The FA Cup is something special. You guys give a special touch to it and it is so contagious that it even affects people from overseas to watch it,” Davids told FATV.

“I saw a couple of finals only because it was the FA Cup. I didn’t watch the Spanish Cup or the Italian Cup because it is not as exciting as the FA Cup.”

The Bees made it through the first round last season only to then be knocked out by League One outfit MK Dons in the second stage.

Davids acknowledges that a run in the Cup can help the attention a club, such as Barnet, receives.

He added: “I think a cup run for every small club that does well means you are going to get a lot of focus on the team and you are going to get more attention from outside your local supporters.”

The Bees go into the clash looking to end a run of six games without a victory against the U’s.

In their two meetings in the last campaign goals from Simon Heslop and Liam Davis saw the Yellows leave Underhill with victory.

In their clash at the Kassam Stadium, the Bees went ahead as Michael Hector fired in from distance.

However, Oxford battled back and again were victorious as Scott Rendell and James Constable netted.