Aston Villa v Chelsea: Paul Lambert plays down spat with Jose Mourinho

Lambert was infuriated by decisions that went against his side in the reverse fixture

Jose Mourinho and Paul Lambert square up at Stamford Bridge (GETTY IMAGES)

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert insists there is no grudge between himself and Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho following their touchline spat earlier this season.

Lambert goes toe-to-toe with Mourinho again this weekend reminded of their confrontation at Stamford Bridge at the start of the campaign.

The Scot was infuriated when Blues defender Branislav Ivanovic escaped a red card for an alleged elbow on Christian Benteke - only to go on and score the winner in a 2-1 defeat for Villa.

Lambert was also fuming when a penalty appeal was turned down, prompting angry scenes between the two managers.

Villa's manager insists such feisty altercations are part and parcel of the game but claims both men laughed off the incident.

"Do you know what, there was nothing in that at all," he said.

"We had a laugh and a joke about it afterwards. It was nothing serious. There was nothing in that, people made a lot of it in the way they portrayed it. We had a laugh and a joke as you normally do in football.

"Nobody is there to be Mr Nice but it never transferred into any heated thing. I saw him after the game and it was totally fine. I'm pretty sure it will be the same this time."

Ahead of Saturday's tea-time Barclays Premier League clash with the leaders, Lambert added: "I had a drink with Jose after the match. There was never any (issue).

"I think people tried to make something out of it that was never there."

Touchline spats are a hot topic at the moment following Newcastle manager Alan Pardew's ban for head-butting Hull player David Meyler.

Lambert admits tensions can frequently run high, even if the Magpies manager's case was somewhat extreme.

"I've never really been involved that much of anything major," said the Villa boss.

"One or two, but everybody does. I think that (Pardew) was an extreme case. It's been well-documented and the situation has been dealt with. I think everybody has a little spat now and again."

Villa will be without on-loan left-back Ryan Bertrand when they face his parent club. The 24-year-old's ineligibility opens the door to Joe Bennett or Antonio Luna, who are competing for his spot in Paul Lambert's XI.

PA