Jackson ready to be Chelsea's nemesis in fated reunion

Maresca's side face ominous meeting with former striker in a tactical battle between two Guardiola disciples

- Jacob Steinberg

A trip to the Allianz Arena offers Chelsea fond memories of the greatest night in their history, a meeting with two what-might-have-beens and a swift reunion with a player desperate to prove they were wrong to let him go.

Perhaps Enzo Maresca will be feeling nervous if his team have to face Nicolas Jackson when they open their Champions League campaign against Bayern Munich tonight. There are plenty of examples of loanees coming back to haunt their parent club in the tournament and Jackson will not be short of motivation if he features against Chelsea less than a month since he left on loan.

The striker has a point to prove, particularly after the drama around his move. It all seemed so simple when Jackson flew to Germany on the morning of 30 August. Bayern had reached an agreement to sign him on loan with an option to buy, only for the situation to change when Liam Delap sustained a hamstring injury against Fulham a few hours later. The deal was off. Delap’s injury was serious and Chelsea did not want to gamble on heading into a busy autumn schedule with João Pedro as their only fit striker.

Yet Jackson had no interest in coming back to play second fiddle to João Pedro, who had in effect replaced him after joining from Brighton in June. He remained in Bavaria and was rewarded for his persistence when new negotiations ended with Bayern agreeing to sign the Senegal international, with a €65m (£56m) obligation to buy that will be triggered if he reaches a certain number of appearances.