Terry praises Rodgers' special qualities

John Terry is looking forward to renewing Brendan Rodgers' acquaintance on Sunday but hopes Chelsea can claim a crucial victory at Liverpool.

Much of the attention will be on Rafael Benitez's return to Anfield but Rodgers has a Chelsea connection, having coached the youth team at Stamford Bridge before senior management roles at Watford, Reading, Swansea and now Liverpool.

"I know Brendan very well," Terry said.

"He's a great manager and was brilliant for myself and the other players. I can only speak highly of him.

"I'm looking forward to going back and seeing him but three points is a must for us again.

"When Jose (Mourinho) was there he was always around and a couple of times I was left out the side or injured.

"He (Rodgers) did a nice little video of me scoring goals, tackles and had a 15, 20-minute chat with me.

"At the time it was something nobody had ever done and it just goes to show his man-management and how well he's doing and how well he'll do in the future.

"It's little things like that which as a player it really gives you a boost when you're down. He was a real gentleman."

Terry expected Rodgers to be a successful manager.

"He was around quite a lot and fed off Jose and obviously learnt a lot from him," the former England captain added.

"You could see he definitely had it in him to go on. He had a great rapport with players in and around the training ground on a daily basis.

"He speaks different languages, which is obviously an added bonus for him."

Despite his admiration and respect for Rodgers, Terry is keen to overcome his former mentor as Chelsea seek to return to the Champions League by securing the third automatic qualifying place behind champions-elect Manchester United and projected runners-up Manchester City.

Chelsea play Liverpool, Swansea, Manchester United, Spurs, Aston Villa and Everton in their remaining six games of the season.

"It is a tough run-in," added Terry, whose side also play Basle in the two-legged Europa League semi-finals.

"We've got four games in about 10 days or something, which is ludicrous.

"We've got the squad, the manager's rotating and everyone's playing a part."