Chelsea face Crystal Palace on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-final, and it will be the third time that Marc Guehi will have faced his former side this season.
The former Chelsea star made the £18million switch to Palace at the start of the season, and the Blues academy graduate has now become a key member of Patrick Viera's side. His efforts have resulted in an England call-up alongside team-mate Tyrick Mitchell, and he's thrived alongside Chelsea pal Conor Gallagher at Selhurst Park.
Similarly to Gallagher, Guehi got a look-in at Chelsea, and he spent the last season on loan at Swansea City, helping them to a play-off final. And the England international has opened up on why he left Chelsea, and detailed Viera's influence since arriving at the club.
Guehi's move to Palace raised eyebrows, as although he performed well for Swansea last season, he was still unproven at Premier League level. But their investment now seems like a masterstroke as the 21-year-old has been exceptional for the south London side.
It was a risk to leave Chelsea, but Guehi was confident in his ability and didn't want to get caught up in the Blues' infamous loan system. The Palace defender explained to Sky Sports : "I thought the decision to leave Chelsea and come to Palace was the right one in order to get that game time and hopefully show what I can do.
"Coming here didn't mean it was going to be a given that I would play, I still had to prove myself, work hard, train hard, but it was definitely the club I thought would give me the platform to do so." And prove himself he has, as Guehi is now an established international, and one of the star defenders for the future in English football.
Guehi revealed that it isn't all down to his perseverance though, as he gave credit to the legendary Viera for his influence on his career already. The 21-year-old added: "Patrick's definitely got me thinking about the game in a completely different way, both very tactically and on the ball especially because I have improved a lot in my decision-making.
"It is really hard at this level, a step up from the Championship, so every decision you make is a vital one and can lead to an important or decisive part of the game. He has definitely helped in that aspect."
Guehi has gone from featuring at Wembley in last season's Championship play-off final to reaching the FA Cup semi-final with Palace, who have enjoyed a fine year. They're bordering on a top-half finish, and they'll be dreaming of making another Wembley final after doing so back in 2016.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Wil Crystal Palace cause an upset and beat Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final? Comment below.
Palace were heartbroken as Jesse Lingard's strike in extra-time won the FA Cup for Manchester United, but Jason Puncheon had initially put the Eagles ahead with just 12 minutes to go. Unfortunately for Palace, Juan Mata equalised within three minutes, before Lingard completed the comeback.
They're not quite there yet though, and they'll be deserved winners if they can get past both Chelsea and then either Manchester City or Liverpool who face off in Saturday's semi-final. And Palace will perhaps be hoping that City progress, as they have kept consecutive clean sheet's against Pep Guardiola's side this season.
To give Palace even more hope, Chelsea lost at Wembley earlier this year as Liverpool beat them on penalties in the Carabao Cup final, but the odds are stacked very much against them. Viera does know what it takes to win the FA Cup though, as he did so four times as a player.
