Hughes is a huge fan of first-class Wenger

In February Jose Mourinho's side beat Blackburn 1-0 in a controversial match at Ewood Park when goalscorer Arjen Robben broke his foot following a challenge by Aaron Mokoena.

Then at the final whistle, Hughes was furious when Mourinho ignored the traditional handshake with the opposition manager and danced in front of the travelling fans as if the title had been won.

Both sides were later fined by the Football Association for failing to control their players during the badtempered clash. Chelsea's antics did not go down well with Hughes, who was also annoyed by accusations his side were a team of spoilers.

That slur has stuck. The latest addition to the queue of detractors is Sir Alex Ferguson following Blackburn's gutsy goalless draw at Manchester United this month.

"People's perception of us changed because of the Chelsea game," said Hughes. "Views were shaped after that - wrongly, I feel. So much emphasis was put on the Robben injury which was just a mistimed tackle. You see them time and again. Chelsea have been involved in games when they happened.

"This is only my view and people at Chelsea may say it is completely the wrong view but I just felt we played very well in that game.

"We have Pro-Zone stats from every game and apart from the one that counts at the top of the page - the score - we beat them in every aspect. And we missed a penalty. Bear in mind they had beaten us very comprehensively at Stamford Bridge 4-0, I just felt maybe they thought they were going to get criticism for the way they performed against us.

"It was a little bit smoke and mirrors. I may be wrong and I may be out of order but that was my take on it."

Hughes won't worry too much about his team's image if they beat Arsenal. Any manager who picks the abrasive Robbie Savage must have a thick skin.

Providing Savage has recovered from a groin injury he will play in midfield on Saturday but it is another area of the team that concerns the manager.

"Goals have been the problem," said Hughes. "We will always create chances but we haven't taken them. We have lost Matt Jansen and Jay Bothroyd this season and Jon Stead is having a difficult time. We have had to patch Paul Dickov up for the last three months and just send him out." Blackburn trail Arsenal by 34 points in the Premiership but Hughes believes his men can overcome the odds at the Millennium Stadium.

"It is a one-off and it is in a competition that has been kind to me over the years," he said. "Most people think of it as a distraction but we feel it has helped us. Underdogs? Yes, we are. But this is the FA Cup and it is based on upsets and it is the kind of game that gets the juices going."