Alex Ferguson will have a touchline view tonight when Manchester United host Bolton Wanderers in a potential foretaste of the FA Cup final. And if it is anything like the humdinger the two sides produced in the reverse fixture, it will be well worth seeing.
Ferguson's five-match touchline ban will not start until after this game, giving him the opportunity to orchestrate from close quarters the latest test of United's nerve as they defend a three-point lead over Arsenal in the English Premier League. With Arsenal away to lowly West Brom, Ferguson knows anything less than three points could be a costly mistake.
Bolton have already taken points off United this season, leading twice in their home fixture in September before having to settle for a 2-2 draw.
Since then, Bolton have earned a growing reputation for stylish football that has carried them to seventh place in the table and an FA Cup semi-final against Stoke. The 2-2 against United was certainly no fluke and Ferguson won't expect tonight's rematch to be one-way traffic towards the Bolton goal.
The challenge for Bolton manager Owen Coyle is how to turn his team's forward-thinking football into consistent results against the top teams. The gap between his seventh-placed side and the elite is clear from a record of seven defeats in nine games against the top six this season - the exceptions being the 2-2 against United and a 4-2 win over Tottenham, both at home.
On the road, Bolton have lost all their previous five games against top six teams and, although four of the defeats were by a single goal, the biggest problem for Coyle is how to stop top-class opponents scoring against his team. Bolton have not kept a clean sheet in their nine games against top six teams and that's a major weakness against United, who are such regular scorers at home and almost always win when they score.