Chelsea v Juventus preview

Chelsea play host to a familiar face on Wednesday as Claudio Ranieri brings his Juventus side to England.

The Blues will be hoping the first leg of their last-16 encounter in the UEFA Champions League proves to be an unhappy return to Stamford Bridge for their former coach.

Ranieri spent four years in West London between 2000 and 2004, helping to usher in the dawn of the Roman Abramovich era.

However, much has changed since then and the side he will face in midweek bears little resemblance to that he left behind.

The likes of John Terry, Petr Cech and Frank Lampard remain, but the new-look Blues have transformed into a European superpower since Ranieri's departure.

Avram Grant guided the club all the way to the final of last season's competition, before coming up short in a penalty shoot-out against Manchester United.

Chelsea will be hoping to go one better this time around, with any success likely to be built on a home record which has seen them go unbeaten through their last 15 European fixtures in front of their own supporters.

The Blues also boast an enviable record against Italian opposition at Stamford Bridge, having tasted defeat just once in their last seven meetings with Serie A sides.

In contrast, Juventus have fared dismally on English soil in recent times, losing on their last five visits.

They are unbeaten in seven Champions League outings, though, and know what it takes to go all the way in this competition having taken the crown in 1985 and 1996.

However, any hopes they have of lifting the trophy in Rome on 27th May will depend on their ability to find a cutting edge up front.

They qualified from the group stages having grabbed only seven goals, making them the lowest scoring side to make the last-16.
Deco blow

Chelsea's creativity will be hampered on Wednesday by the news that Deco is set to miss out with a hamstring tear.

The Portuguese playmaker is not expected to be sidelined for long, but will not be ready for European duty.

Ricardo Carvalho is on the brink of a return following a hamstring problem of his own, but Michael Essien is not likely to be considered, despite returning to training after a knee ligament injury.

Meanwhile, Joe Cole is out for the season with knee ligament damage.

Del Piero returns

For Juventus, Alessandro Del Piero will be recalled to Ranieri's starting XI after being rested at the weekend.

The talismanic striker is tipped to partner Amauri up front, despite David Trezeguet returning to the fold after a knee injury.

Tiago is expected to partner former Liverpool man Mohamed Sissoko in the middle of midfield, while ex-Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg will be hoping to play some part on his return to England.