Inter Milan will face Roma at home on Saturday, with both sides looking to get their season back on track after a bumpy start, which has left them with a head start in the Serie A title race.
Inter are five points behind unbeaten leaders Napoli and Atalanta, and in the coming days, both Mourinho's side and Barcelona will play away on Tuesday, which is very important for their chances of reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Inter have lost four times in nine Serie A matches and Europe, raising questions about the future of head coach Simone Inzaghi. However, both vice president Javier Sanetti and CEO Giuseppe Marotta denied this week that Inzaghi's job was in danger. "We've always been confident that when things don't go well, you need to keep that connection between everyone," Zanetti said Sunday.
What makes Inzaghi's job even more difficult is the continued absence of injured Romelu Lukaku, who hasn't played since August and whose muscle problems have led to his missed six games.
The €140 million loss announced on Wednesday last season added to rumors that they would be forced to sell Milan Škriniar to Paris Saint-Germain in January or at the end of the season.
Roma, meanwhile, are above Inter in sixth place, heading into the weekend and after a convincing result before the international break, they will receive a point to prove it.
The home defeat to Atalanta two weeks ago was Roma's second defeat of the season and the most recent failure of a team that had scored just eight goals in seven games to take advantage of the opportunity created.
Striker Tammy Abraham's performance is particularly worrisome, in stark contrast to the talisman role he played at the end of last season.
Roma will also have to leave Mourinho, who will not be on the sidelines of the club, who won the historic league, cup and Champions League treble in 2010 after his rants at Atlanta officials on the sidelines led him to be banned for a game.
Dybala should return to the San Siro stadium, which looks set to be his new home after Juventus announced in March they would let him go at the end of the season. The Argentine striker is sought after by Mourinho and is likely to play a role in Roma's attempt to get long-time Lazio player Inzaghi to bleed again. His presence is good news for Mourinho, and when the 28-year-old is on the field, Mourinho's team has a completely different atmosphere about it.