Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard admits he is expecting some “stick” from Chelsea fans when his side welcome them to Villa Park on Boxing Day.
The former England captain was infamously close to joining the club back in 2005 before making a dramatic U-turn and staying at Liverpool for another decade. In 2014, his slip against the London club at Anfield is widely thought to have cost Liverpool the title.
Now in charge of Villa, the 41-year-old has made a promising start to life back in the Premier League, winning four of his opening six games after leaving Rangers.
Speaking ahead of the game, Gerrard has admitted he was expecting some sort of reaction from the traveling Chelsea support given the history between the two, though did stress that the fixture was not about him.
"I agree in terms of there’s a lot that has happened, but for me it’s very much water under the bridge," Gerrard said.
"I’m sure I’ll get a little bit of stick off the Chelsea fans, but I certainly welcome that, it’s part of the banter in the game.
"But this is not about me and my playing days against Chelsea, it’s very much about Aston Villa and Chelsea, which is completely different."
