West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo is hoping to receive a warm reception from the Chelsea fans on his return to Stamford Bridge as he looks to guide his newly-promoted side to a shock opening-day result.

The Italian played for Chelsea from 1996 to 2002 before being forced to retire early through injury. In his time at the club he won the FA Cup twice as well as picking up League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup medals and is now listed alongside other club ‘legends’ on the Chelsea website.

“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.

“We also had some successful times there and that helped a lot too.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“The Cup Winners’ Cup was fantastic and the European Super Cup against Real Madrid was a great experience.

“We had some great games and good Cup runs. We had a fine time.”

However, history is against Albion picking up a positive result as the Baggies have lost all eight of their previous Premier League meetings with Chelsea and have yet to score a goal at Stamford Bridge.

In total over all eight fixtures Chelsea have scored 20 goals, while West Brom have found the net only twice.

This afternoon’s encounter sees Chelsea on offer at 1.16, the draw at 7.00 and West Brom at 17.00 to pull off a shock win.

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Hull have completed the signing of midfielder Robert Koren on a free transfer following his release by West Brom this summer.

The Slovenia captain, 29, has penned a two-year deal at the KC Stadium with a third year option for both parties.

Koren, a key player in the Albion side that won the league title in 2007/2008, will be included in the squad for the trip to Millwall should all the required registrations and international clearances be received in time.

TEAMtalk’s Simon Wilkes believes West Brom will finally shed their yo-yo tag this season – with Roberto Di Matteo the key to his confidence.

The Baggies are back in the big time after yo-yoing between top two divisions for the last nine seasons – but this time they’re staying for good.

The last time Albion were in the Premier League they barely made a fist of survival as then-manager Tony Mowbray refused to alter his belief in open, flowing football which meant the goals were flying in – just sadly at the wrong end for the boys in blue and white.

Mowbray somehow got the Celtic job on the back of his Hawthorns ‘heroics’ – OK that’s harsh as in general he did a great job during his time in charge, winning promotion as champions – but that all ended badly, and we ended up taking a punt on Roberto Di Matteo, who had caught the eye with an impressive spell at MK Dons.

Alan Irvine was all set to take the Albion reins but Italian Di Matteo was the last man to be interviewed, and blew the Baggies hierarchy away with his charm, hunger and ambitious plans for the club.

That U-turn reaped rich rewards as West Brom romped to automatic promotion in Di Matteo’s first full season, finishing on a record haul of 91 points – a full 12 points clear of third-placed Nottingham Forest.

The former Chelsea playmaker ticks all the boxes on the managerial front as he handles the media with care, is tactically sound and has a plan B if plan A is not coming together.

For me he’s the key to Albion finally shedding their yo-yo tag and consolidating a top-flight spot this season.

First of all he favours a 4-2-3-1 formation using two defensive midfielders which gives plenty of protection to the back four – something the team never had under Mowbray.

And secondly he seemingly has the ability to get the best out of his players, having transformed £100,000 signing from Livingston Graham Dorrans into a multi-million pound player envied by top-tier clubs up and down the country.

He also has an eye for players who have lost their way in the game, giving the likes of Jerome Thomas, Steven Reid and Giles Barnes the chance to prove themselves – and being richly rewarded for that faith.

Di Matteo has confirmed Scott Carson will be his captain having seen him thrive on the extra responsibility in last season’s promotion-winning campaign – but has also added £1.5million recruit Boaz Myhill to his playing staff to ensure the England goalkeeper will be kept on his toes.

Chairman Jeremy Peace has once again decided to run a tight ship on the transfer front, frustrating his manager by reportedly agreeing a £1million fee with Odense to sign Eric Djemba-Djemba then trying to get a cut-price deal after claiming a problem had come up in his medical.

But the Baggies supremo has secured deals for defenders Gabriel Tamas and Pablo Ibanez, who will battle to play alongside imposing centre-back Jonas Olsson at the heart of Albion’s backline.

Incoming left-back Nicky Shorey will provide some valuable experience and the Baggies are likely to be busy right up until the summer window shuts, with moves for strikers James Beattie, Jason Roberts and Moussa Dembele, Portsmouth defender Marc Wilson and Red Bull Salzburg winger Somen Tchoyi all in the pipeline.

And boy do they need a proven striker on board, as the likes of Ishmael Miller, Roman Bednar, Simon Cox, Luke Moore, Chris Wood and Reuben Reid will hardly strike fear into the league’s best defences.

Dorrans will be the central cog in the attack-minded midfield trio, with Thomas, Chris Brunt, James Morrison and Barnes vying for the other two spots.

The Hawthorns will be packed to the rafters for every home game and Albion have one of the best sets of travelling fans in the country, so I’m confident we’ll recover from a tough opening set of fixtures (we travel to Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United in the first eight games) to make a proper fist of our latest top-tier tilt, with Di Matteo growing as a manager along the way.

One to Watch: Jerome Thomas: The former Arsenal and Charlton winger was unplayable at times last season and has fulfilled his true potential under Di Matteo’s tutelage, with pace, power and a good eye for goal.

Young Gun: Graham Dorrans: This is a huge season for the all-action midfielder who has also broken into the Scotland first team. At 23, he has his best years ahead of him and is learning from one of the classiest midfielders to grace the English game with Di Matteo overseeing his career development.

Point to Prove: Scott Carson: The former Liverpool stopper had his confidence shot to pieces in England’s ill-fated Euro 2008 qualification campaign, and was then snubbed by Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill. He’s still a little shaky on crosses into the box but is an immense shot-stopper – and has thrived on being given the captain’s armband. Will feel he has a big point to prove to fans who still remember him for his Wembley blunder.

Fantasy Football Pick: Graham Dorrans: Will probably play all 38 PL games and takes free-kicks and penalties. Also pretty special at letting fly from long range so get him in your team as he’s cheap as chips – and will probably pick up plenty of MOTM awards for Albion.

Your Say: zoltan1987: I am very optimistic in regards to the forthcoming season. In Di Matteo we have got a fantastic young manager at the helm, one who is hungry for success that, with the help of his backroom staff, created a fantastic team spirit among the squad last season, one where they thought for each other up until the last minute of every game. We played brilliant football at times, but he showed he had a plan B, grinding out results when the occasion called for it, something that we have lacked under previous management. On top of this the players he has at his disposal aren’t a bad bunch either. Many have experience at this level and are determined to establish themselves in the Premiership. We have a good mix of youth and experience that are all chomping at the bit to compete with the world’s elite. All our key players have been tied down on long-term contracts. And in Graham Dorrans we have got a future star on our hands, someone who can turn a game, scores goals, but gets stuck in and defends as well. I think if we can invest in some extra firepower up front, someone with experience at this level, and some extra cover in defence, then I can see no reason why a 15th, 14th-placed finish isn’t achievable. I just hope the majority of our fans share the same optimism I have and really get behind the team from the word go, as this season we will be needed more than ever!

Brighton manager Gus Poyet has completed the signing of former Leeds goalkeeper Casper Ankergren on a two-year deal.

The 30-year-old was released by the Yorkshire club in the close season but Poyet has moved to bring in the Dane after he passed a medical.

Ankergren is expected to go straight into the Albion squad for their npower League One opening tie at Swindon and could get the nod to start ahead of Michael Poke and Mitch Walker.

First-choice Peter Brezovan is nursing a wrist injury and Poyet was keen to bring in a senior keeper for the start of the season.

The Withdean boss told the club’s official website: “Goalkeeper is a key position in the team, and with Peter Brezovan injured, we wanted to bring some experience to that position.

“Casper brings that experience and has played at this level and higher. I have worked with him at Leeds United, and know exactly what he is capable of, he also knows what it takes to get promoted from League One.”

St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes has returned to former club West Brom to sign striker Marcus Haber on a season-long loan.

The 21-year-old Canadian joined Albion from the Vancouver Whitecaps on an 18-month contract in January but he has not made a first-team appearance.

The 6ft 3in frontman has already had two loan spells, with Exeter and Vancouver, and he will see out his contract in the Scottish Premier League, although the Baggies have a one-year option on his deal.