STILIYAN PETROV junior will settle into his seat at Wembley and cheer for his dad as he lines up against Manchester United.
His old man’s presence is the only reason the youngster is even remotely interested in Sunday’s Carling Cup Final.
The one team that really matters to the seven-year-old is Celtic - and Petrov senior can’t help but laugh about it.
Stiliyan jnr is desperate for Celts to get the win they need over Rangers at Ibrox.
His father, too, would love to hear the news that Tony Mowbray’s side have claimed victory, just before he leads out Aston Villa for their biggest game in a decade.
Villa skipper and ex-Hoops idol Petrov said: "My oldest boy Stiliyan is a massive Celtic fan.
"He doesn’t want to support Aston Villa.
"Stiliyan only wants them to do well because of me and it’s funny but I can understand because Celtic means an awful lot to him.
"He is seven and I still have to get strips sent down here for him.
“Stiliyan also supports Arsenal, but I really can’t say anything about that because it’s his choice.”
Petrov would have watched the Old Firm clash on TV if it wasn’t for the small matter of playing United at Wembley.
As he gets ready for the final, Petrov can’t deny there will be a part of him thinking of Celtic on Sunday.
Even if he tried to forget about the Hoops he couldn’t - because of the presence of Martin O’Neill’s staff. O’Neill’s No2 John Robertson, coach Steve Walford, Villa fitness specialist Jim Hendry and doctor Roddy Mcdonald are all ex-Celtic men.
Petrov admitted: "I am definitely going to follow the Old Firm game.
"The situation Celtic are in - seven points behind and Rangers having a game in hand - means it’s going to be very tough for them.
"Nothing is finished. Celtic need to try and win and then look to also win the final derby at Parkhead.
"When you are at Celtic you always have to believe - and the team must believe they can still win the league.
"It’s going to be tight for the rest of the season and I don’t think Celtic will ever give up. The dream day for me on Sunday would be Celtic winning at Ibrox and Aston Villa winning the Carling Cup.
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"I loved being successful with Celtic. Those were special days, not just winning finals but also beating Rangers.
"Players who haven’t been as fortunate don’t really understand how it feels to win a cup. It is very hard to get a final and I am so happy Aston Villa have done it.
"But we don’t just want to be passengers at Wembley. We want to go there and win.
"There are a lot of former Celtic people at Villa.
"We will definitely know the result from Ibrox before Sunday’s final.
“People like Jim Hendry and Roddy Mcdonald will want to know the score and how the game’s gone.”
Petrov, 30, is desperate to ensure Villa’s first final in 10 years has been worth the long wait.
Finals at Celtic virtually became a way of life for the powerhouse midfielder before he left for Villa in 2006.
Villa haven’t appeared in one since the 2000 FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea.
Petrov, who collected eight winner’s medals at Parkhead, said: "It’s true I have missed these kinds of occasions.
"I was very lucky at Celtic because the team more or less reached a final every season. We became used to it.
"Although we lost, getting to the UEFA Cup Final was the highlight of my career.
"This is Villa’s first final in 10 years and I have been here for the last four years.
"It is a great club and the fans are brilliant, I want to repay them.
"It will mean a lot to Martin to win on Sunday.
"He won so much in Scotland, but still people questioned him. They asked: ‘Can he do it again in England’? He had already been successful with Leicester City, winning the League Cup a couple of times.
“He’s doing a great job for Villa and it would mean so much to him to pick up silverware for the club.”
Petrov has never lost touch with his old Celtic pals.
He said: "I keep in contact with a lot of people. I still speak with Shaun Maloney and Aiden McGeady.
"I also still speak with John Clark and a lot of people at the club.
"I haven’t had the chance to go back up and watch many games because we tend to play at the same time.
"Every chance I get I look for the results and news of the club.
"I wasn’t surprised about Robbie Keane joining. There had been enough rumours.
"I believe he will have the best time of his life, especially with his Irish connections.
“I am really happy for him. He has started to score goals and it would be great if he could score the winner at Ibrox on Sunday.”
