(Manchester United News)
Juan Mata will return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since his £37.1million move to Manchester United, and Louis van Gaal has confirmed that the in-form Spaniard will definitely play against his former club.
Mata made 135 appearances during two-and-a-half seasons with Chelsea, scoring 33 goals and van Gaal admits he always tries to harness the additional motivation of a player facing a former employer.
"I've said to him already that it shall be very special for him," the boss told MUTV. "Normally, I always put players in the line-up if they've played for the opponent, so I think Mata shall play."
Irrespective of the identity of Saturday's opponents, Mata has been in fine form for United recently – he scored twice in the 2-1 win over Liverpool last month and once in the 4-2 victory over Manchester City last time out. His creativity, vision and touch have all been key to his and United’s performances of late, too.
"It's going to be a very special game for me," Mata wrote earlier this week in his personal blog. "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."
Mata scored three times against United for Chelsea, but Juan, van Gaal and Reds supporters will hope he continues that propensity to score in this fixture now he is in a red shirt.
