Source: Team_Talk
Di Matteo relishing Bridge return
West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo is hoping for a warm reception from the Chelsea fans on his return to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.[LNB] Di Matteo will be looking to guide the Premier League new boys to a shock opening-day success.[LNB]History is firmly against Di Matteo, who played for Chelsea between 1996 and 2002 before a leg injury forced him into a premature retirement, making a winning return to his old stomping ground.[LNB]Albion have lost all eight of their Premier League meetings with Chelsea and have yet to score a goal at Stamford Bridge. In those eight meetings the Baggies have conceded 20 goals and scored just twice.[LNB]Di Matteo twice won the FA Cup and also picked up League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup medals during his six years at the Bridge and is one of 26 'legends' listed on the Chelsea website.[LNB]"I expect a good welcome from the Chelsea fans as I always had a good connection with the fans and the club from day one," said Di Matteo.[LNB]"We also had some successful times there and that helped a lot too.[LNB]"The fans were brilliant and it is very generous of them to list me as a legend as there are players who have done more than me.[LNB]"The club were very good to me when I broke my leg. But I did give my playing career to Chelsea so it works both ways.[LNB]"It is difficult to say if I have one particular memory of Chelsea because I had such a great time there with the trophies we won.[LNB]"The Cup Winners' Cup was fantastic and the European Super Cup against Real Madrid was a great experience.[LNB]"We had some great games and good Cup runs. We had a fine time.[LNB]"John Terry was coming through at the time and you could see he had some talent, hunger and ambition. At that stage it was difficult to see his potential although you could see something was there in his play."[LNB]Di Matteo does not have his medals any more, having given them to his father.[LNB]"I don't have any medals as my father has them," added the Italian. "I am not the sort of person to keep those around me.[LNB]"The reason is that I try to look at the present and future instead of looking at the past. You cannot change the past but you can change the future."[LNB]Di Matteo's assistant at The Hawthorns, Eddie Newton, played alongside him at Chelsea and the pair admitted they felt it was fated they would be handed a trip back to their old club on the opening day of the season.[LNB]"When we heard we just started laughing," said Di Matteo. "We always imagined what it would be like to go back to Chelsea as management.[LNB]"Now we are getting the chance to do it on the first day of the season and for us that is great.[LNB]"After laughing about it, a bit of panic set in. But then we thought about it and realised it will be a good tester for everybody to see where we are at.[LNB]"We know all about Chelsea. We have seen them in pre-season and what we have seen is what we expected."
