Claudio Ranieri admitted last night that Chelsea have rediscovered the qualities that make them "a great fighting machine" but stressed that the onus will be on his own Juventus players this evening to eliminate his former employers and re-establish the Italian club as a force in the European elite.
Juve are back in the knock-out stage of the Champions League for the first time since their relegation to Serie B in 2006 for the part they played in Italian football's infamous match-fixing scandal. They achieved eye-catching results in the group stage, beating Real Madrid home and away, but an appearance in the quarter-finals would help restore the two-time European Cup winners' reputation.
"This club carries a great name, and a great weight of responsibility," said Ranieri. "All the players in our team know just how important Juventus are as a club. The name is fundamental at both Italian and European levels, and we must always remember that.
"Chelsea have power and a fighting spirit, as well as the individual qualities and skills of their players. Thanks to the investment they've made in the team, they are a great fighting machine once again. But we have great players, too, who have already shown their qualities in this competition this season but, if they do their utmost, they can go further and do even better."
The Italian lost Nicola Legrottaglie to a recurrence of a knee injury yesterday, the defender joining Mohamed Sissoko, who has a broken foot, on the sidelines, but will most likely partner Alessandro del Piero with David Trezeguet up front as Juve seek an early goal and the extension of a 13-match unbeaten home record in Europe. The veteran pair boast 415 goals between them for the Bianconeri.
"We have huge expectations for this game," added Del Piero. "We need to play a perfect game to get through, but we'll also need heart, passion and a great will to win."
