Hiddink believes Pavlyuchenko, who joined Tottenham for £13.8million last summer, can cause an upset against Manchester United in the Carling Cup final today.
Hiddink told News of the World: “I started to respect Pavlyuchenko more and more during our period together in the national team and his decision to go to one of the toughest leagues in the world.
“He took a decision to try to go to England. I did not expect that because he was well known in Russia and had a good life — life in Moscow is perfect for those guys.
“But I had a direct, open fight with him. I told him: ‘Hey, you have this big talent, but you only use a small amount of your talent’ — and he responded by going to the Premier League.
“After the decision I started to respect him more. He is now growing in being a professional.”
