Juan Mata plotting revenge on Jose Mourinho for booting him out of Chelsea

Posted Thursday, April 16, 2015 by Dailystar.co.uk

Juan Mata wants revenge on Jose Mourinho for kicking him out of Stamford Bridge.

Mata will return to his former club for the first time this weekend when Manchester United meet Chelsea in a Premier League blockbuster.

United travel south high on confidence following six straight wins and can close the gap on Mourinho's league leaders to five points with another triumph.

Victory for Louis van Gaal's men in Saturday's showdown could blow the title race wide open, with the Blues still having to face both Arsenal and Liverpool.

Spanish star Mata has extra motivation to sink the Blues after Mourinho decided to sell him to arch-rivals United during the middle of last season.

United broke their transfer record to land Mata in a £37.1m deal and flew him to Manchester in a private helicopter.

SPECIAL DAY: Juan Mata can't wait to face his old side Chelsea

The World Cup winner has taken time to settle at Old Trafford, but is now starting to find his best form under Van Gaal.

Now he is on a mission to have the last laugh on Mourinho by helping United down the Blues to blow a hole in their title chances.

Mata, who scored in last weekend's derby thrashing of Manchester City, said: "We are already thinking about our next 'final' - a visit to the leaders of the Premiership."

"Needless to say that it's going to be a very special game for me. I already played against Chelsea in the first half of the championship, but going back to Stamford Bridge for the first time will bring me plenty of good memories."

"The day I arrived to this great club (United) I wrote, 'Gratitude is the memory of the heart' - and I keep thinking the same."

"At that time I had the chance to thank everybody who helped me in London during those two and a half years."

"It will be nice to meet former team-mates, fans and friends. I keep good memories of them and I wish them the best."

"But obviously, our intention is to get the three points again and we will try from the kick-off until the final whistle."

"The best thing is that we go to this game in a very good moment, with confidence, but we are aware that we must perform at our best level if we want to beat Chelsea."

Meanwhile Van Gaal is expected to welcome back fit-again Robin van Persie for the trip to Stamford Bridge, but the striker is expected to be named on the bench.