Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge looking to avenge October’s humiliation

The media had a field day when Chelsea drew Manchester United at home in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. Jose Mourinho hopes the sequel to October’s bloodbath is not more of the same.

Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge for the first time with Manchester United is now part of Chelsea lore. Chelsea fans will continue to laugh about its ending forever. But, knowing Jose Mourinho, he will be out for revenge.

Jose Mourinho tried out a different formation against Thursday night’s Europa League opponents, FC Rostov. He opted for a 3-5-2, playing Daley Blind and Ashley Young as wing-backs. This was an unfamiliar tactic in a Mourinho side. If he chooses the same on Monday, he may be trying to challenge Chelsea with unpredictability.

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Mourinho is not usually one to experiment, either. As Chelsea fans will remember, 4-2-3-1 was his one and only formation at the Bridge. Mourinho may be out to prove a point that the 4-0 defeat Chelsea inflicted on him was a fluke, and that United are more than capable of mirroring a 3-4-3 successfully.

However, they ended their Europa League fixture in a 1-1 draw, so he may have changed his mind again (all part of the unpredictability, of course).

Mourinho will want to win. The Blues embarrassed him at Stamford Bridge in October, both by the score-line and Conte orchestrating the home fans. Pedro scoring within 33 seconds threw any game plans out the window. United were on the defensive from minute one until the end. It was a horrific defeat for them.

But Mourinho is not one to crumble under the humiliation of such memories. He will thrive from it. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended for the tie, Manchester United are already going into this quarterfinal as the underdogs.

This may serve the Formerly Special One well. His pre-match conference will give little away, besides perhaps a premature complaint or two about Chelsea’s pitch or the referee.

Next: Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Predicting a Premier League starting XI for FA Cup

Both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte know how to stir up an atmosphere. It’s sure to be as much of a battle on the touchline as it is on the pitch.