UEFA Champions League: Chelsea vs Juventus Preview

London, Sep 19: Chelsea begin their UEFA Champions League title defence with a stern test against Italian Serie A champions Juventus at Stamford Bridge here on Wednesday.

The Blues finally tasted European success last season in 10 attempts after beating Bayern Munich on penalties. The west London club last met their group opponents in 2008/09 season beating Juventus 1-0 in the first-leg and drawing 2-2 away at Turin.

Both teams remain unbeaten in their respective domestic leagues, however, Juventus are unbeaten in 42 Serie A games.

Chelsea defensive duo John Terry and Ashley Cole are set to make a comeback after missing England's game during the international break. Playmaker Juan Mata is set to clash against the Bianconeri alongside Eden Hazard and Ramirez.

The Old Lady will play a 3-5-2 formation but Brazilian centre back Lucio will miss the game with an ankle injury. However, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini are set to form the defensive line.

Trivia:

*Chelsea won all six of their UEFA champions League home games last season, scoring 17 and conceding 2.

*Chelsea have conceded 97 goals in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final.

*Juventus captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will make his 400th appearance for the Old Lady if he features against Chelsea.

*Alessandro Del Piero left Juventus after making 705 appearances and scoring 289 goals, both club records.

Probable Lineups:

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech-Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole-Ramires, Mikel, Lampard-Hazard, Torres, Mata

Juventus (3-5-2): Buffon-Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini-Lichtsteiner, Pirlo, Asamoah, Vidal, Marchisio-Giovinco, Vucinic

OneIndia News