Hiddink confident Hazard will stay at Chelsea

A number of possible alterations to the world’s oldest football competition were discussed this week, prompted by the hectic schedules faced by teams in European competition.

Defenders Tosin Adarabayio and Cameron Humphreys, winger Brandon Barker and striker David Faupala were omitted from Davies’ under-21 side on Saturday, along with forward Bersant Celina and midfielders Manu Garcia and Aleix Garcia – a trio who featured as unused substitutes during last weekend’s 2-1 Premier League loss against Tottenham.

“We have a week and I hope next week he will be available”. Midweek it can have a lot of attention.

“I love to see them playing when they are in full possession of the ball”.

“Of course it is disappointing to be without him [Terry] because he has been the leader of this team and at this club for years”, Hiddink said.

“So I think it’s important to arrive there on Monday night”.

“We never think about the four trophies”. A win however, would give them a better opportunity to make amends. It will be interesting to see if Chelsea can take advantage of that and progress onto the next stage of the FA Cup.

Manuel Pellegrini is set to carry out a plan to field a weakened Manchester City team when his side face Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Sunday. If we want to protect the English teams in the Champions League, something has to change. We have youngsters for instance like Bertrand Traore – he’s so ambitious, he’s training well, he’s learning every week.

After seeing Leicester’s Robert Huth and Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen put the skids under City in the Premier League title race, Hiddink is quietly confident his curly haired maestro is just as capable of doing something very similar for Chelsea in the FA Cup. (It will be) hard to get fourth position, but regardless with what else it brings, it would be nice to go for the ultimate target, which is the FA Cup.

The Dutchman added: “I let them rest for one or two days after Tuesday but before that I had a short conversation with Hazard about the situation but he is very keen to extend his contract here and his family are happy”. We are now climbing the table, that was the first target. We are going to try to qualify in the Champions League.

“It would be attractive (to win the FA Cup)”.

The holders are looking for a three-peat this season, a run that started with a victory over Hull in the 2014 final. Another player you have to pinch a bit.