Chelsea welcome Peterborough United to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for a third round FA Cup tie that presents Blues boss Antonio Conte with the ideal opportunity to swiftly return to winning ways following the disappointing midweek defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
Conte's team, who despite the 2-0 loss at White Hart Lane still head the Premier League by five points, were distinctly second best against Spurs in a game in which they failed to match the intensity of the home side and fell short in their effort to equal Arsenal's 14-game winning run from 2001-02.
After a frenetic festive fixture period, and conscious of the rigours of the title battle ahead, the Italian will rest a number of key players this weekend against League One Peterborough. Thibaut Courtois, David Luiz, N'Golo Kante, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are all likely to get the afternoon off with Asmir Begovic, Kurt Zouma, Nathaniel Chalobah, Willian and Michy Batshuayi the expected replacements.
It's quite possible Conte might rotate even further.
Branislav Ivanovic could be handed a start ahead of Cesar Azpilicueta, John Terry could replace Gary Cahill and 20-year old academy graduate Ola Aina could come in for Victor Moses at right wing-back. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, another product of Chelsea's youth system, will also pressing for inclusion.
Having enjoyed something of a breakthrough season last year, Loftus-Cheek's first-team opportunities have been restricted by the London club's stellar progress under Conte and there have been plenty of rumours linking the 20-year old with a loan move during the January transfer window. Whether Loftus-Cheek leaves the Bridge this month remains to be seen, but after the promise shown last season, Chelsea supporters would be keen to see the youngster in action again.
Despite the fact that most of Conte's starting XI v Peterborough will be occupied by members of his squad who have watched from the sidelines this season, they are still of sufficient calibre to ease through the cup tie without any drama. But there can be no room for complacency.
While Chelsea will start as red-hot favourites to win the match, Blues supporters still recoil in horror at the memory of the 4-2 home fourth round FA Cup defeat to Bradford City also of League One in 2015. Two years ago, a table-topping Blues side, managed at the time by Jose Mourinho, were cruising to the Premier League title and romped into a 2-0 lead against Bradford.
The game looked over, but somehow Mourinho's side (which featured the likes of Petr Cech, Zouma, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Oscar and Didier Drogba) managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Conte may be new to English football, but the FA Cup with all its historic tradition has long been a global spectacle and the Chelsea manager will also have had plenty of conversations with the likes of club captain John Terry who has won the trophy four times in his distinguished Blues career.
Terry, a non-playing substitute in the Bradford debacle, has seen his game-time limited this season by injury -- but Conte has praised the 36-year old for his support on the training ground and in the dressing room. Terry loves the FA Cup and will play with the zeal of an 18-year old should he be selected.
While away support at Stamford Bridge will number 6,000 enthusiastic, noisy Peterborough supporters, the loudest cheer of the day will surely greet the return of Terry. Chelsea's revered captain, leader, legend will be fired up for the game and his approach will be the same as if the Blues were facing Barcelona rather than a mid-table League One outfit.
Motivated by the prospect of one last hurrah in a Chelsea shirt at Wembley, Terry will not suffer any fools gladly around him.
If Chelsea's remarkable capitulation at the hands of lowly Bradford ranks right up there as one of the greatest shocks in FA Cup history, a loss to Peterborough would probably surpass it. Such a possibility adds to the compelling beauty of the competition, however on this occasion, Posh fans are likely to be disappointed as the backlash from Chelsea's defeat by Spurs should propel Conte's side through to the next round.