Guus Hiddink is going to have his first taste of Chelsea life in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup clash against Watford on Saturday, February 14. Hiddink has already won the Dutch equivalent of the FA Cup, on four different occasions, and he would love to add the English edition to his personal collection as well as Chelsea's trophy cabinet. The FA Cup is important, because in spite of his telling everyone that he will not concede the fight for the Premiership, realistically Chelsea will have a superior chance accomplishing something in the cup tournaments this season around, be it in England or in Europe.

Watford should not be too much of a task for Chelsea, in spite of them having survived a rather turbulent week, but the trip to Vicarage Road will be a challenge. What might work for Chelsea is that they have an inside man who knows Watford rather well – that being Ray Wilkins. 

There is a strong Chelsea connection at Watford at team management and board level, making the cup tie something of a family affair. Recently appointed Watford boss Brendan Rodgers, a José Mourinho acolyte, was in his time a big success at Stamford Bridge. Moreover, on 24 November 2008, Frank Lampard senior (the father of Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard) was appointed as a football consultant to Watford manager Brendan Rodgers. This means that on Saturday, daddy Lampard will be plotting against young Lampard, hoping for a Chelsea downfall.

This is the fifth time in succession this season that Watford have drawn to be the hosts of an FA Cup tie. Only this time they will play against a Premier League side. The last time Watford played in a Premiership club in the FA Cup was when they lost to Manchester United in the semi-finals two seasons ago.

It's 25 years since the Hornets enjoyed their finest hour in the competition by going all the way. Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray scored in a 2-0 victory for Everton in the Wembley showpiece, to end what had been a dream run for Graham Taylor's side, culminating in the tears of chairman Elton John.

Before the match with Watford, new Chelsea boss Hiddink remained positive for the season ahead. He told the official club website that: "There's a 10-point difference but things can happen in the final stages of the championship. The players are very committed, but sometimes you can have a little bit different approach to get even more efficiency out of the players."

Regarding his current commitments with the Russian football federation until the end of the 2010 after the South Africa Mundial, the Dutchman said: "What happens after May is unclear," . "It's difficult to make it work because the Premier League is challenging."
 
Meanwhile, Chelsea captain John Terry, who only two days ago expressed his full support for departed Scolari, said of his new boss:
"We have six months to turn things around. If we do he will probably get offered the full-time job," said the defender. "It is down to us to put in the performances and get results for him and then hopefully something can be done in the summer."