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Early leaders Liverpool have fallen five points behind Manchester United in their bid to be champions for the first time in 19 years, and cannot afford any slip-ups in the rest of the campaign if they are to end that barren spell.
But while Hughes considers Rafa Benitez has got it right by moderating his rotation policy this season, he also senses that his talented team will be allowed to express themselves in a way they couldn't at Stoke and Portsmouth.
He said: "It's always a test going to Anfield, but we will give it a good go. They will have to come out and try to win the game, so hopefully that will leave spaces in behind that we can exploit.
"They have been frustrated by other teams at Anfield. We have to make sure we have a platform to win the game ourselves.
"We need to be nice and solid, but be a bit better at set-plays as well as seeing games out to the end, because we have the goals in us, as we showed against Copenhagen. We have to show all of that against Liverpool.
"When teams come out and have a go at us, we will always be a threat going the other way. We have struggled away at times when the other team doesn't come out - we end up like the home team and get caught by the sucker punch."
Despite his belief that the Blues can build on Thursday night's efforts, Hughes will not underestimate the threat from a Liverpool outfit he accepts have stepped up their title bid after flattering to deceive in other seasons.
Hughes warned: "They are real challengers this year - they have been in the top four for a few years but not really been near to challenging for the title. Whether they run Manchester United close this year, we will have to wait and see.
"Liverpool have made a better fist of it, and maybe that has come with less squad rotation. They have been criticised for changing the team in the past, but this year they haven't, and as a consequence they are having a better challenge."
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