The hiccup Nicholls is referring to relates to last year's Tingle Creek when Azertyuiop, having departed at the first fence in an Exeter race designed to bring the chaser to peak fitness, was beaten four lengths by a rampant Moscow Flyer.
A rematch in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham ended in a bloodless win for Azertyuiop once Moscow Flyer got rid of Barry Geraghty before the race began in earnest. However, Nicholls has two strong allies in his view that his gelding can come out on top again.
Channel Four expert John Francome said: "I've ridden Moscow Flyer at home and he's a cracking horse but I think Azertyuiop might be that little-bit sharper over two miles. He put up a brilliant performance at Exeter on his reappearance and he's the one for me."
Champion jockey Tony McCoy agonised long and hard before casting his vote for the younger horse, but former champ and current BBC pundit Peter Scudamore feels Moscow Flyer can have the edge.
McCoy said: "If you put a gun to my head I'd have to go with Azertyuiop. Moscow Flyer has been a great horse for a long time but he might just be getting a little bit slower as he gets older.
"It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see him win the King George at Kempton over Christmas but Azertyuiop is a machine over two miles and he'd be the one I'd ride if you gave me the choice."
By contrast, Scudamore puts his punter's hat on in order to bang the drum for the Irish raider.
"The record shows that when Moscow Flyer stands up he is very hard to beat," he said. "Yes, he doesn't always get round but at 5-2 he looks the value bet to me."
Geraghty, not surprisingly, agrees with Scudamore and feels that Moscow Flyer is as good as ever after a recent win at Navan.
"Of course I was impressed with Azertyuiop at Exeter but the score in completed starts is still 1-0 to me," he said.
"Every time I ride Moscow Flyer I go out thinking that with a clear round we'll draw again and it won't be any different this time around."
So there you have it. McCoy and Francome side with the horse who takes his name from the top line of a French keyboard, while Scudamore and Geraghty come down firmly in favour of the Flyer.
Barring accidents, we could be in for one of the most pulsating duels ever seen up Sandown's unforgiving final hill.
And, to borrow a phrase from the BBC's FA Cup coverage, this one don't need no Don to sell it to an eager racing public.
