Hughes stirs the pot over Wenger's 'dark arts'

Hughes accused Wenger of using the 'dark arts' to influence referees ahead of Blackburn's home Carling Cup quarter-final with the Gunners on Tuesday, and mounted another defence of his team's disciplinary record in the wake of a full-blooded encounter between Arsenal and Chelsea which saw nine bookings but no red cards.

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Blackburn may be bottom of the Fair Play League after Brett Emerton became their fifth player to be sent off this season in Saturday's 5-3 defeat at Wigan, but Hughes is convinced referees are being unfairly lenient to the big clubs.

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Points to make: Hughes feels his side are being victimised at the expense of big clubs

'I saw some challenges on Sunday which could have been reds, and the referees were asking the players to have a chat to calm it down,' said Hughes.

'They give them the benefit of the doubt, but I don't see that where Blackburn are concerned. As a consequence, we are always on a tightrope for sendings-off. We had another at the weekend, so that perpetuates the myth.'

Hughes is still furious over Wenger's claim that his side had 'a desire of violence' when the teams drew 1-1 at Ewood in August.

Wenger's criticism of Blackburn's robust style followed similar outbursts by Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie, and Hughes sees it as a ploy to influence referee Mike Riley.

He said: 'There always seems to be a tone leading into games against Arsenal where people highlight our misdemeanours. Teams put comments out in an effort to influence the referees. It's a touch of the dark arts.'

Ironically, Fabregas has been praising Arsenal's ability to mix style with steel this season. Hughes intends to put that to the test again after admitting his own team have gone a little soft.

'Arsenal players have been banging the drum about how they can cope with the physical side, so they know it is part and parcel of the game,' said Hughes.

'It's nothing to be embarrassed about and we are not embarrassed about being able to play football and compete. Maybe we have gone too much away from the qualities we need to be competitive.'

Hughes is ready to drop Benni McCarthy in favour of Matt Derbyshire, while Wenger is expected to bring in Nicklas Bendtner, Eduardo and Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Midfielder Mathieu Flamini — who is in talks over a five-year deal worth £40,000 a week — also hopes to play after returning from a thigh injury on Sunday.