Heading into yet another cup final, Portsmouth manager Avram Grant will this time be facing Chelsea instead of sitting on the team's bench.
Grant, who emerged from relative obscurity to take over as coach of Chelsea from Jose Mourinho in 2007, has led his team to the FA Cup final in his first season in charge. And to win his first major trophy in European football, it'll be Chelsea he has to beat in Saturday's match at Wembley.
Grant and Portsmouth have not had it easy this year, with finanicial problems causing the team to be docked points and eventually leading to relegation.
``Reaching the FA Cup final in any year is a great achievement,'' said Grant, who guided Chelsea to both the Champions League and League Cup finals. ``But to have made it this season, given the problems we've had, is a proud moment for everyone connected with Portsmouth.''
Before coming to England, the 55-year-old Grant had a successful coaching career in his native Israel, where he won four league titles with two different clubs also also claimed a handful of domestic cups.
Grant entered management in 1972, when he was only 19 years old, taking over as youth team coach at hometown club Hapoel Petah Tikva. He had no experience as a professional player, but he was able to succeed and was promoted to manage the first team in 1986.
From there he moved to Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he won the team's first league title in 13 years in 1992. After a short stint at Hapoel Haifa, Grant moved back to Maccabi Tel Aviv and then onto Maccabi Haifa.
Grant then entered international football, starting a three-year spell coaching Israel's national team. He was unable to qualify the team for the 2004 European Championship, but the side progressed significantly under his leadership. Without losing a game in its qualifying group, Israel narrowly missed out on a spot at the 2006 World Cup on goal difference.
After leaving Israel, Grant moved to England and became technical director at Portsmouth, overseeing manager Harry Redknapp. Even though the role came as a threat to Redknapp, Grant was able to win him over.
``I wasn't pleased when he was brought in at Portsmouth without my knowledge, but I soon realized he isn't the kind of man to spy on you for the owner,'' said Redknapp, now the manager at Tottenham.
Grant finally became a major player in the Premier League when Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich appointed him manager following the departure of Mourinho, who had won two league titles but failed to advance past the semifinals of the Champions League.
Despite his lack of experience coaching in what many consider to be the best football league in the world, Grant guided Chelsea to the Champions League final in 2008 and finished runner-up in both the Premier League and the League Cup. He was fired after the season ended.
Grant's second spell at Portsmouth has been a mixture of triumph and despair, and his ability to deliver results in the face of financial meltdown has been admirable.
``We know Avram very well and he knows how to motivate and get the best out of players,'' Chelsea striker Didier Drogba said. ``The job he's done wasn't easy and I think if they hadn't had the (nine) points taken off they would still be in the Premier League and to get to the final is a great achievement.''
Portsmouth defender Tal Ben Haim said Grant's success at the South Coast club came from positive man-management.
``Avram knows how to relax players,'' said Ben Haim, who also played for Grant with Israel. ``It is very important to have somebody like that who does not always talk about the bad things. He can see the positives.''
Making the FA Cup final will surely be a positive, no matter what happens on Saturday.
``To have shown such spirit, character, and good football in all our cup games - and come back to Wembley?'' Grant said. ``It's more than a dream.''
