PA PhotosSteve Clarke has impressed in his short spell in management

When Chelsea travel to the Midlands this weekend to face West Bromwich Albion, there will be the chance for old friends to renew acquaintances.

Baggies manager Steve Clarke will face the club where he spent the bulk of his career for the first time since becoming a manager in his own right, having been in the opposition dugout as Kenny Dalglish's assistant at Liverpool. The Scot is not the sort of person to let emotion sway him in any direction but the occasion will certainly have an extra resonance.

It will be the third time in a month that the Blues have come against a team directed by a former member of the club. Andre Villas-Boas had a point to make against his former employers when Chelsea travelled to Tottenham. Unfortunately for him, Juan Mata inspired the visitors to a scintillating 4-2 win. Then, just last weekend a former prodigy of Jose Mourinho's, Brendan Rodgers, oversaw a fortuitous draw for Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

However, Clarke has a far deeper connection to Chelsea than either of those two, which makes the reunion much more poignant. He made over 400 appearances in a blue shirt, primarily as a right back, but also as a central defender as his career wore on, and experienced the full range of emotions as a player. His time in West London spanned eleven years from 1987 to 1998 and he was part of the last Chelsea side that was relegated in 1988.

But he more than made up for it by winning the FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners Cup in the two seasons prior to his retirement. An accomplished defender, he was arguably the most deserving of all those who won medals in that era as the club began to reacquaint itself with silverware - the trickle that has since become a torrent.

Clarke's commitment, industry and grossly underrated ability helped provide the foundation for that team alongside Dennis Wise. It is not stretching the point too far to say that had it not been for the achievements of those two and their more glamorous team-mates such as Gianfranco Zola, Gianluca Vialli and Gustavo Poyet then the club might not have attained the status that attracted Roman Abramovich's investment and the ensuing march to the pinnacle of the game domestically and in Europe.

It might be early days in his managerial career, but Clarke has taken to it like a duck to water with his team able to blend the pragmatic side of the game to the more aesthetic aspects. The fact that he cut his teeth as a coach by becoming assistant manager to Jose Mourinho is surely not coincidental to his current success. Clarke's time as part of the backroom staff at Chelsea saw him work under three different managers and his forensic knowledge of the club will no doubt aid him in his quest to beat the European champions.

Familiarity can breed both contempt and harmony, but when in opposition it always provides added motivation. That situation will not just stoke the fires for Clarke but also within Roberto Di Matteo whose previous job in management was at The Hawthorns. He led West Brom into the Premier League and began the season in style, leading his new side to victory at Arsenal - a trick he has already repeated at Chelsea - before being rather unfortunately dismissed as a precaution against relegation as results began to falter.

Although the decision appeared to be justified after the incoming Roy Hodgson guided the Baggies to safety, Di Matteo has always insisted that he could have achieved the same result and will be driven to make that point with his new team on Saturday. For differing reasons, his former team-mate in the opposing dugout will be equally as keen to thwart him.

Follow Phil Lythell on Twitter @PhilLythell

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