Chelsea must beware threat of Juventus striker Amauri

If Jose Mourinho was correct to describe Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the best footballer in the world, it is the arrival at Stamford Bridge tonight of one Carvalho De Oliveira Amauri that should perhaps concern Chelsea rather more than the return of Claudio Ranieri.

While Ibrahimovic's goals have propelled Inter Milan into an apparently unassailable position at the top of Serie A, it was Amauri who ended 2008 as the Italian league's top goal-scorer and he also began 2009 with a first call-up to the Brazilian national squad.

At the age of 28, it was rather belated recognition for a player who has spent his career moving between Italian clubs with limited success, yet rather like Frank Lampard, Amauri wholeheartedly credits Ranieri with transforming his career.

"I have a great relationship with Ranieri," he said. "He wanted me in this team and, when I came from Palermo last year, he was extremely helpful in allowing me to settle. I was moving from a small team to a big club and the main factor has been Ranieri.

"He is a coach who hates to lose and is a great man-manager - this is perhaps his greatest quality. He speaks always with the players, whether he has something good or bad to say. But his tactical work is also very important. He works very specifically on small details."

Amauri is unable to explain why Chelsea would have sacked Ranieri or, indeed, Luiz-Felipe Scolari, a manager he knows only by his considerable reputation in Brazil.

"He is a great coach - he won the World Cup with one of the weakest Brazilian sides," he said. "But we are not concerned by the change of manager. We know it will still be a very tough match - I have followed Chelsea over the years and they have a lot of champions. There is Didier Drogba and, defensively, they are strong - John Terry is a player who I respect greatly."

Indeed, having established himself among the most feared strikers in the Italian league, Amauri regards the test of Chelsea as the opportunity to propel his career onto another stage.

"I want to show my quality in Europe," he said. "I am very happy with how I'm doing in the league, but the Champions League is a different stage and I feel that now is the time for me to take that next step forward."

Chelsea v Juventus in the Uefa Champions League is live on Sky Sports on Wednesday evening, along with Real Madrid v Liverpool.