Wigan Warriors suffered a brief Las Vegas hangover against Huddersfield Giants on Sunday afternoon, but Hull FC head coach John Cartwright is expecting no preferential treatment from the reigning holders ahead of Saturday's last-16 Challenge Cup tie.

The Cherry and Whites' slow return to U.K. action after the bright lights of Sin City lasted just forty minutes against the Giants. They were behind 18-10 at the break before the side clicked into gear with a ruthless 34 unanswered point second half display.

And Cartwright, despite having a turnaround advantage with recovery done and dusted on Friday, the weekend off, and significant preparation time before they head over the Pennines, is taking nothing for granted.

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The Black and Whites, who produced a spirited account against Leigh Leopards in a 22-all draw on Thursday night, were humbled by Wigan in round two of Super League last month with last year's quadruple winners, since posting 48 points on Warrington and a further 44 on Huddersfield.

They will be heavily fancied to defeat Hull again, and understandably so, but the Airlie Birds will be keen to put in a strong performance this time around and show they have truly changed under their new Aussie head coach this year.

"We've got a good turnaround," Cartwright explained. "We had recovery on Friday, and we've had the weekend off. We still don't play until Saturday.

"They played Sunday, and coming back from Vegas, it's a big game you play over there, so there's naturally going to be a little bit of coming down after that. We'll see what they're made of, but if anyone is going to up for it, it'll be those boys.

Cartwright added: "You never like to lose, but I wasn't overly concerned after the game last time—I walked away thinking, 'Wow, that's a good team,' and then they went over to Vegas and did the same thing. We're looking forward to facing them again."

Hull, who put a big emphasis on turning around their relationship between the club and their supporters, are expected to be backed by a fair following in Wigan, with Cartwright describing that bond so far as 'magic.'

For the 59-year-old, that was emphasised in a passionate MKM Stadium crowd on Thursday, who stuck with their side all game.

"It's magic, it really is," Cartwright continued. "Whatever has happened in the game, you've just got to stop and feel good. The fans, the noise they make—the players really appreciate what they do for us."

Jack Ashworth, meanwhile, is keen to repay the loyalty shown by Hull's supporters last year with a strong performance over the Pennines. The club has started the year with three wins from five games, and while being competitive is the collective goal, the prop forward admitted the team is striving for a 'bit more' than that as they look to become a team everyone can be proud of again.

"They're great, the Hull fans—they support you home and away," Ashworth said. "They're loud, and they just want us to put the effort in and work hard for each other. We want a bit more than that, though; we want to win, but it's good having them behind us.

"They come over, support us, and give us that kick that we need sometimes. But I'm proud to play for Hull, and I'm sure they're proud to support the team at the moment.

"They're the best fans; they stuck with us through all the adversity that we went through last year. We're trying to build this year now, and they've backed us, and they continue to back us."