Mata Prepared For A Special Night

Each Monday, Manchester United forward Juan Mata publishes a personally-written piece to provide an insight in his life, both on and off the pitch. His latest blog update is penned by the River Thames as he looks forward to the return to his former club, Chelsea, in the Emirates FA Cup quarter-final...

Hi everyone

Today, I’m writing from London, from our pre-game hotel by the Thames. As you know, tonight we play the FA Cup quarter-finals against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Every game is important, but we are approaching that crucial part of the season where every tie will define our future in all the competitions we’re still playing, so tonight’s game is special.

First of all, because the FA Cup semi-finals are at stake. We are the defending champions and that, together with the recent visit to Wembley and the EFL Cup trophy, gives us an extra power in this great competition. And obviously, playing such a game against Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge, where I have felt very welcome ever since the first day, means that this is one of the games in the year that are ‘different’. It would be great news to go back to Wembley this season.

The team knows it, and we are focused on that. I hope we have a great football night at the Bridge and we can make it through the semis, make all the fans that travel with us to London happy, and get closer to another trophy. We know it’s going to be complicated but we will give everything on the pitch.

We come from a 1-1 draw in Rostov and I think it’s not a bad result, given all the circumstances around the game: a long trip, a tough rival and the pitch conditions. Our goal on Thursday will be to get a ticket to the next round, this time with the support and strength that we always get from Old Trafford. Being in the quarter-finals of the Europa League would be a good signal that we are doing well, but, again, first we need a good performance against Rostov, before going back to the Premier League.

I’m signing off now. I hope that we can enjoy a great game tonight and make it through the semis. Have a nice week, thank you for your support!

Hugs,

Juan

Juan's full blog is available to read on his official website, juanmata8.com.

Credit: Manutd.com