Fernando Torres hopes for positive reception from Liverpool fans ahead of charity match

Fernando Torres insists it will be "amazing" for him to return to Liverpool for a star-studded charity match this weekend and says he is looking forward to linking up with another former Anfield favourite in Luis Suarez.

Atletico Madrid striker Torres will be one of a number of reputable players on show on 29 March as two teams picked by captain Steven Gerrard and fellow Reds legend Jamie Carragher do battle in a fundraiser organised by the Liverpool FC foundation.

The Spaniard was adored by the red half of Merseyside after moving to the Premier League in 2007, yet his reputation among the club's supporters plummeted after he completed a£50m move to rivals Chelsea four years later, which was a British record at the time.

Torres was not warmly received by the home faithful after returning to face Liverpool in the aftermath that high-profile transfer, yet he hopes he will receive a better reaction when he lines up alongside Gerrard once again.

"I'm not sure," he told Liverpool's official website when questioned as to the reception he will receive.

"I will say to everybody that what the media says about the relationship between Liverpool fans and me after I left was not the reality. Everybody knows the kind of reaction Liverpool fans had when we met on the street in London or when I went back to Liverpool – everybody gave me thanks for everything I did in Liverpool.

"That is what I feel for them. For me, Liverpool fans are always going to be different; I had probably the best period of my career wearing the red shirt and all my memories are great.

"I have nothing bad to say about them and I never will – they treated me like one of them and I felt at home in my time there. It is going to be amazing going back; hopefully the reception will be better than the one I had when I went with Chelsea. But it doesn't matter what happens really. Liverpool fans are part of my heart and my feelings – everything I felt when I was a Liverpool player is inside me and no-one is going to take that away from me."

As well as eagerly anticipating the chance to feature alongside Gerrard before the latter embarks upon a new phase of his career with Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles Galaxy, Torres revealed he was also excited to form a partnership with a good friend in Barcelona forward Suarez.

As Suarez's arrival from Ajax coincided with Torres' exit in January 2011, the two strikers never had a chance to link-up at Liverpool but will likely get that chance after both were included in Gerrard's impressive squad along with the likes of Thierry Henry, John Terry and Xabi Alonso.

"Of course. I saw what Luis did in his time at Liverpool and it was amazing, just amazing. Luis is a good friend – we have a good relationship and good friendship. We were sitting together for two days at Melwood when I was leaving and he was coming," Torres said.

"We made good friends and we are still in touch now. I also know what it means to him to go back to Anfield and play there again. It will be great to play up front with him, especially with Stevie G behind us."