Former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda expects "gentleman" Claudio Ranieri to get a wonderful reception from Blues fans when he returns to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Ranieri managed Chelsea for four seasons before being replaced by Jose Mourinho following Roman Abrahamovich's takeover of the club in 2004.

"I wasn't there at his time but I remember everybody at Chelsea talking very positively about him," Malouda told Sky Sports.

"He came to visit the training ground a few times when Carlo [Ancelotti] was in charge so I met him a few times and he was a real gentleman.

"He's very respected by the Chelsea fans and they are always very loyal to him. They really appreciated what he did for the club at that time and there is some kind of romantic love between them and Claudio Ranieri.

"For him I'm sure it will be a great feeling to be back at Stamford Bridge as a Premier League champion. I am very confident he will receive a warm reception but I hope he doesn't get the result he's expecting!"