A 2-1 defeat at Leicester City proved the final straw for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich who had shown uncharacteristic patience before finally sacking Jose Mourinho last week.

Replacing the controversial Portuguese until the end of the season is veteran Guus Hiddink.

The Dutchman served as Blues boss on an interim basis previously during the second half of the 2009 season, winning the FA Cup and losing just one of his 22 matches in charge.

The 69-year-old has since had mixed spells in charge of Turkey, Anzhi Makhachkala and the Netherlands, whom he left with qualification for the 2016 European Championships hanging in the balance. 

Hiddink was in the stands for Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Sunderland with club stalwart Steve Holland the man in the dugout as goals from Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro and Oscar saw off the Wearsiders.

The challenge facing Hiddink is to get the Blues as high up the Premier League standings as possible before the end of the season.

The champions are currently 15th, three points above the relegation zone but nine away from the top four.

The west Londoners will be hoping he enjoys a similar impact to his last spell at Stamford Bridge when he was offered the job full-time but honoured the contract he had signed to become coach of Turkey.

Here we profile three Chelsea players who could make the difference against Watford.

Watford Observer:

Willian: The Brazilian winger is an obvious choice but in a miserable season for Chelsea his form has been one of the only bright spots.

The 27-year-old was snatched from underneath the noses of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in August 2013 and hasn’t looked back since his £32 million switch from Anzhi.

With seven goals in all competitions – five of those coming in Europe – the former Shakhtar Donetsk wideman is the Blues’ top scorer this term.

His lack of goals had been the one big criticism of his time at Chelsea until this season.

A free-kick specialist, Willian has won 32 caps for Brazil and represented the Selecao at the 2014 World Cup in his homeland.

Watford Observer:

Oscar: Another Brazilian playmaker, the 24-year-old scored just his second Premier League goal of the season against the Black Cats on Sunday.

Usually employed in the number ten role behind striker Diego Costa, the former Internacional and Sao Paulo attacker cost the Blues £25 million when he moved from South America in 2012.

Oscar has feature sparingly in the Premier League this season for the Blues making just nine starts.

Born in Americana, the lightweight attacking midfielder has won 44 caps for Brazil since making his debut in 2011 and chipped in with 12 goals.

He was also part of the Selecao’s humiliating exit from the 2014 tournament at the hands of Germany.

Watford Observer:

Kurt Zouma: The powerful young French defender’s form has put pressure on the places of established centre-back duo John Terry and Gary Cahill.

Signed from St-Etienne for £12.5 million in January last year he returned to the Ligue 1 club for the remainder of the campaign and was used fleetingly upon his return to England.

However, Mourinho gradually integrated the 21-year-old into his side towards the end of the campaign and often in an unfamiliar holding midfield role.

The 6ft 3in powerhouse was born in Lyon and after progressing through St-Etienne’s Academy made his first-team debut in 2011.

He quickly became an established part of Les Verts’ backline and made 74 appearances before being snapped up by the Blues with one eye on the future.