The hype might suggest a grudge match, but Paul Chapman insists it will be nothing of the sort when he faces old team Geelong for the first time on Friday night.

Chapman will return to Essendon's line-up after being rested last week, and is primed to take on the Cats after being traded last year following 251 games and three premierships with the club.

The 32-year-old said he still watches the Cats closely and hopes they do well, and there was no bad blood after being let go during last year's trade period.

"I just want to be the best player and team player I can be, so while it's good for the hype that I got dumped last year and there might be vengeance and stuff like that, there's no ill-feelings from me," Chapman said on Tuesday.  

"I just want to be the best Essendon player I can be."

Chapman will try to give his new club the edge on Wednesday when it properly begins its opposition analysis, and said he had spoken with Cats coach Chris Scott several times since his departure.

"That's footy these days, things happen and you've got to make some hard decisions," he said.

"We'll be looking back in a year or two and saying it was a good decision hopefully for both parties, because the Cats will still be playing well and hopefully I'm still playing well."

The half-forward's form – like his team – peaked in the opening three rounds of the season when he kicked nine goals. He has been consistent since without having the same scoreboard impact, and missed last week's win over Adelaide to manage his workload.

The Bombers have been under enormous pressure after the issuing of 34 show-cause notices to current and former Essendon players for their part in the 2012 supplements program.

Having not been at the club during that period, Chapman said he had tried to offer support to the players.

"Being a part of it but not really being a part of it is a hard thing to do. The guys have handled it very well and on game-day and training they've been very professional," he said.

"But you can see that it does affect them a little bit. We try to keep the mood up around training and enjoy each other's company."