Chelsea vs. Juventus
25 Feb 2009 20:45:00 CET
Stamford Bridge—London
Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Portugal)
Last season Chelsea played in the Champions League final and—after being tantalizingly close to European glory—they were defeated by Manchester United on penalties.
The London club won three of their group stage fixtures along with two draws and one defeat—at the hands of AS Roma—as they continued on as runners up in their group behind the Italians to the knockout stages.
After the successful Mourinho era, Chelsea has stuttered somewhat in their domestic league and has seen Manchester United winning to back-to-back league titles for the past couple of seasons. Luiz Felipe Scolari took over the reins at the start of the season and the promises about greater things to come weren't far behind.
After around seven months on the post "Big Phil" was given the sack due to poor results and unrest within the squad and about a week ago Russia coach Guus Hiddink accepted to take charge of Chelsea until the end of the season.
Last weekend the Blues landed a somewhat convincing victory after weeks of poor results which will no doubt act as a confidence booster ahead of a clash against Juventus as they continue in their search for their style of play.
Chelsea probable starting XI:
Historical Juventus are back in the Champions League after a two-year absence due to the aftermaths of Calciopoli. The pundits that wrote them off prior to the draw were all the more certain in their predictions after the Bianconeri were drawn alongside the likes of Real Madrid and UEFA cup holders Zenit St. Petersburg.
Juventus went on to collect three wins and three draws, topping their group before Real Madrid—which they defeated twice. Comeback kings? To say very the least.
After a somewhat poor start to the season, the Turin club picked up their game only to once again slump back to their poor form after the Christmas break. Juventus are currently second in the standings and have done so with their injury-plagued squad is quite a feat in itself.
The Bianconeri has, however, managed to pick up their game in due time and the last couple of weeks has showcased an improvement as the injury list continues on to release names back to Ranieri’s disposal.
Juventus probable starting XI:
This season both clubs has had their shares of ups and downs which includes both results on the pitch and poor form. But they are now entering the crucial part of their respective campaigns. For obvious reasons it will be a special game for Claudio Ranieri who coached the team four years prior to José Mourinho’s big entrance. Expect an even game and all the fireworks that it includes.
Player to watch: Alessandro Del Piero is notorious for stepping up his form in big games as his motto seem to be "the bigger the game, the greater the performance." Il Capitano is the reason behind Juventus’ successful group stage campaign and will without a doubt play a leading role against Chelsea.
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