Watford boss Sean Dyche is hoping some FA Cup magic will be sprinkled over his side against Tottenham Hotspur (From Watford Observer)

Watford boss Sean Dyche is hoping some FA Cup magic will be sprinkled over his side against Tottenham Hotspur

11:00am Friday 27th January 2012 in Sport By Frank Smith

Watford manager Sean Dyche is hoping the magic of the FA Cup will be “sprinkled” on his side when they face Premier League title-challengers Tottenham Hotspur tonight.

The Hornets take on Spurs in the fourth round of the FA Cup and Vicarage Road is expected to be almost sold out, after Spurs were given the whole of the Vicarage Road stand.

Dyche enjoyed an unbelievable FA Cup run of his own as a player; captaining League One side Chesterfield to a semi-final replay with Middlesbrough in 1997.

The former centre half admits football has changed considerably since then, due to the influx of international superstars, but the Watford manager still “believes” in the FA Cup.

“The gap has got bigger and it is harder to close that gap but we all know the magic and beauty of the FA Cup and if that magic is sprinkled on us, then who knows,” Dyche said.

“If Tottenham play at the top of their game then even if we play at the top of our game, they will most likely win. That is the way football is nowadays.

“But you are hoping for that mismatch – they do not play well and we play really well and then who knows.

“That is the magic of the FA Cup and that is when dreams are made.”

Watford’s only injury doubt going into the contest is the impressive Jonathan Hogg, who has suffered with a knee injury in the last couple of weeks.

Hogg started against Birmingham City on Saturday but came off with just over five minutes remaining due to the problem.

The former Aston Villa youngster would almost certainly play if fit, especially if Watford opt for the same 4-1-4-1 formation deployed against Birmingham.

Martin Taylor and Stephen McGinn remain on the sidelines.

Dyche admitted that managers can never be sure whether their players will thrive or buckle under the pressure of big games.

Spurs games are broadcast on almost a weekly basis whereas this is arguably Watford’s “biggest” game of the season and Dyche stated the tie is a much larger occasion for his players compared to their Premier League counterparts.

But Dyche was unsure whether that was a good thing going into the contest, which will be shown live on ESPN, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

He said: “Who knows if the players will respond to the pressure in a positive or negative way. That is often the defining moment when the whistle blows.

“Are our players on a super-alert way of playing or are their players so comfortable because they are used to it?

“You can never define that but we can organise and prepare properly to be in the right frame of mind going into the game.”

Dyche is sure to have found tactical preparation for the game difficult as it is unclear which side Tottenham will play.

While Spurs are taking the FA Cup seriously, they are also in third place in the Premier League and just eight point behind leaders Manchester City so may decide to rest several of their stars.

Tottenham also have a match with Wigan in four days time and assistant manager Kevin Bond confirmed that game will be considered when making their team selection for tonight.

Dyche admitted there is only so much tactical preparation he can do due to, not only the fluid nature of their play but the problems with predicting their line-up.

He said: “They have so many good players and that is why they are the force they are, because teams find it hard to plan against what they offer.”

Dyche is a big fan of the FA Cup but believes Harry Redknapp will not be disrespecting the competition, or Watford, if he decides to make wholesale changes.

“If Spurs decide not to select their strongest side then I certainly won’t be taking it as a sign of disrespect,” Dyche said.

“Harry Redknapp is a fantastic manager who has built a career from the lower leagues all the way to the top division.

“So I am absolutely sure there will be no sign of disrespect.

“He will be concentrating on what he needs, which is to win the game – because Harry Redknapp is a winner – and also what their programme offers.

“They play high profile games in the coming weeks so he could want to keep his players fresh and also keep players who are nearly in his first team sharp.”

Redknapp has not been at Tottenham’s training ground all week due to his on-going trial for tax evasion but his assistant insists Redknapp will be at the game and will select the side.

Bond said: “The fact that the manager has not been here has had very little impact.

“It’s a similar scenario to when Harry had a medical procedure. We didn’t have him for a week or so leading up to the Fulham game.

“The training carries on as normal, so there’s not a lot of difference except that Harry’s not here in the day.”

Gareth Bale, Scott Parker and Younes Kaboul are all expected to not to play after missing training this week.