For a while, it had looked like the relationship between Jose Mourinho and Chelsea fans was moving in the wrong direction, particularly when he was the manager of Manchester United. Years have passed since then, both have faced their fair share of ups and downs, and are set to meet again, this time in the Champions League, when Benfica travel to Stamford Bridge this week.
Even though Mourinho has not enjoyed much success in recent years, he remains one of the most fascinating characters in all of football. Now back in Portugal, at the club where he began his mangerial career, it remains to be seen if The Special One is able to turn back the clock.
Of course, he will know that his Benfica side have a strong chance of causing an upset against Chelsea. The Blues have lost three straight games and are completely out of form at the moment, with key players like Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill out injured. They also have a defensive unit that can't seem to get out of its own way, while going forward, they have failed to meet expectations.
In short, nothing is going Chelsea's way. And when the game kicks off, Mourinho will be intent on helping get Benfica a result against his former side. That being said, he is also very classy and honest about what the fixture means to him.
Jose Mourinho makes classy Chelsea claim before Stamford Bridge return
As reported by UEFA's official website, Mourinho said:
"[Stamford Bridge is] a stadium where I won three Premier Leagues; I made history with Chelsea. Chelsea belongs to my history, I belong to Chelsea history. But that's football. They want to win, I want to win. I will realise where I am before the match, I will realise where I am after the match; during the match, I think I have the capacity to forget and just to compete."
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Mourinho. He is coming off some underwhelming spells and needs something special, pardon the pun, to rediscover his mojo.
As for Chelsea, they will want to make sure that they do not come up short against Mourinho's team. They have done so in the past in the Champions League. Enzo Maresca will know the importance of not losing four games in a row. In fact, even a draw would feel like a defeat.