For Erik ten Hag, it is a reunion that takes him back to where he began, to a false start with a false nine, to a match that may be a reason why Graham Potter now occupies the home dugout at Stamford Bridge. Two months ago, the Englishman was the Brighton manager who triumphed at Old Trafford in Ten Hag’s first match in charge of Manchester United. Given the new Chelsea FC regime’s propensity to target whoever is the flavour of the month, he might not have been chosen to replace Thomas Tuchel without that 2-1 win.
If Potter has the chance to become a rare manager to beat United twice in the same season with different clubs, and the first to defeat Ten Hag twice in his reign, Saturday is about more than just a statistical quirk. The winner will sit in fourth. For all the talk of a big six, there is not always a six-way battle for the Champions League places – and United surrendered their chances last year – but there might be now.
