Steven Gerrard is trying not to his let emotions get the better of him as the Liverpool captain and talisman prepares for his Anfield farewell in his final competitive appearance in front of the Kop as Crystal Palace visit Merseyside on Saturday.

The 34-year-old Gerrard, who has made 708 appearances in a glittering 17-year career with his hometown club, is moving to Los Angeles Galaxy at the end of the season.

The 2005 Champions League-winning captain told the club’s website, liverpoolfc.com: “I think at the moment where I am, with a couple of games left to go, I don’t really want to think about it too much.

“Everyone’s talking about it but for me I just want to stay focused on the remaining games and the training and sessions ahead.

“There’s plenty of time to be sentimental and emotional after the games are done but I don’t really want to listen to supporters being emotional face to face because I’m a little bit afraid of breaking down and showing too much.”

With Liverpool’s push for a top-four place in the Premier League now over – barring an unlikely mathematical swing – Gerrard’s appearance will dominate the occasion. Some tickets for the sell-out match are being sold for more than £2,500 on the internet.

The game is classed as a category C fixture, with adult tickets normally costing between £37 and £49, but on Wednesday prices available on the internet ranged from £161.64 to £2,646.24.

Gerrard wants to enjoy the occasion and ensure he signs off by helping his team to a win. He said: “It’ll be strange, I’m sure it will. It’ll be an emotional day for me and my family and friends that have followed me throughout my career. And also for a lot of supporters that have watched me for many, many years, not just at the stadium but around the world as well.

“I’m going to get the attention at the weekend, it’s not something I really like, but hopefully I can put in a good performance for the supporters so we can get a win and I can enjoy the send-off that I’m going to get.”