Should Ben Foster or Heurelho Gomes start in goal for Watford at Wembley on Sunday? It is a key selection decision Javi Gracia has had to make before every game in the Hornets’ FA Cup run and the importance of it has arguably grown the further the club have progressed in the competition.

Many fans, understandably, will want to see Gracia select his strongest XI to face Wolverhampton Wanderers given the size of the prize at stake and will therefore want to see Foster between the posts.

However, Gomes has been the Hornets’ cup goalkeeper this season and has played an important role in helping the team reach the last four, conceding just one goal in the competition to date.

It is a decision Richard Lee admits he is glad he doesn’t have to make, but the former Watford keeper is confident Gracia cannot lose whether he sticks with Gomes or decides to start his Premier League number one.

“It’s so tricky,” Lee admitted. “You’ve got two Watford legends. I don’t think he can make a wrong decision because of what Gomes has done in the cup so far, he deserves his chance, but if he chooses Ben, in my opinion you’ve got the best English goalkeeper, a goalkeeper that should be playing for England.

“Personally if I had to choose…? I don’t want to, I’d toss a coin. I’d genuinely would toss a coin and go with that because it’s such a tough decision. But I don’t think he can go wrong. You’ve got two top, top goalkeepers there and I’m sure whoever he does choose on the day will do a brilliant job.”

Although the former West Bromwich Albion keeper has stated he has no wish to come out of international retirement, his ex-Vicarage Road teammate elaborated on his view that Foster is the best English keeper in the game currently.

Lee explained: “When he was younger and we worked together, he was always very happy go lucky, but if I remember he wasn’t all that fit back then and he obviously picked up injuries.

“If anything, what he’s done very well is he’s got fitter and fitter as he’s got older and where he was raw when he was very young, he’s so polished now. I look at him and I don’t see a reason why he’s going to all of a sudden fall off a cliff. I look at him and there’s longevity there, there’s no reason why he can’t do two more seasons after this if not longer.

“From an England point of view, I know he’s retired and I know he likes his breaks and it’s allowed him to elongate his career, but I’ve made my thoughts very clear that If I were England manager, having someone like Ben with his distribution being in my opinion pretty much as good as Jordan Pickford and everything else that he brings to the game – he’s so assured in everything he does – I think he’s the outstanding candidate in England and I think he will be for the next two years.”

Watford made two FA Cup semi-finals during the 36-year-old’s time at Vicarage Road; the 2-1 defeat to Southampton in 2003 and the 4-1 loss to Manchester United four years later.

With Foster unable to feature against his then parent club, Lee played at Villa Park in 2007 and he recalled the excitement he felt despite the disappointing outcome.

He said: “It was the drive to the stadium and coming out for the game itself and looking at the Holte End and just seeing a sea of yellow. I’ve never had such a buzz. Although the result didn’t go our way, I still look back on it as one of my proudest moments of being involved with Watford and such a big occasion.

“Those that are kind of my age and above, we know what the FA Cup means and playing in a semi-final, but where the club is now I think it is ready to kick on and this is the time now.

"Make a final and I think I’ve said before but if it is Manchester City in the final, on any given day, it will be a tough task but I think Watford certainly have the ability and I see no reason why Watford can’t go the whole way.”

Given his belief that the Hornets can win the trophy, Lee is optimistic about his former club’s prospects on Sunday, but admits it will be a “tough” tie.

“I think out of the three options they were given (in the draw) it was the middle one,” he said. “They are two really, really good teams; two teams that are, in my opinion, ready to really challenge the top six next season.

“It’s interesting for so many different reasons and I’m confident that we’ll get the result we should get.”