Jose Mourinho returns to Chelsea on Sunday and it is the safest of bets that Saturday's press conference will fire the first bullets ahead of a match neither side can afford to lose. Antonio Conte will inevitably be in Mourinho's sights, but to the many targets for the Vitriolic One was added Manchester United fans, which surely completes the full set as there can be no one else left for him to criticize.
The pressure is mounting on the chasing pack and by the time the game at StamfordBridge kicks off, if Manchester City beats Arsenal, then United would trail the leader by eight points with Chelsea 12 points in Team Guardiola's wake.
Conte has already won the Premier League title, though Chelsea is unlikely to retain it. Mourinho is expected to deliver the English crown for Manchester United, but a familiar foe stands in his way. Just as Mourinho was up against a Barcelona side that raised the bar with its new brand of football when he was at Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola is once again his record-breaking nemesis at Manchester City. It is difficult to know which is Mourinho's toughest opponent — the traditions of United built on exciting, attacking football or Guardiola, whose team was stunning in the 4-2 demolition of Serie A leader Napoli on Wednesday.