UEFA Champions League: Juventus vs Chelsea Preview
With Di Matteo under pressure after a poor run in the Premier League, dropping down to third place, three points below title rivals Manchester United, the defending champions cannot afford to lose in Europe.
Di Matteo hinted that Torres' place in the starting XI is under threat with Daniel Sturridge likely to start in Turin on Tuesday. The 28-year-old Spaniard was substituted in the 62nd minute in the 2-1 defeat to West Brom Albion, a clear indication that the manager has ran out of patience with his £50m man.
Torres has so far scored one goal in the Champions League, a rebound off Shakhtar Donetsk's goalkeeper Andriy Pyativ at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues owner Roman Abramovich is all set to launch a whopping bid for January target Radamel Falcao which could mark the end of Torres.
However, a dressing room bust-up after defeat on Saturday adds more pressure to Chelsea's stars while facing Juve. The clubs talisman and skipper John Terry remains injured while Frank Lampard has not recovered from a calf injury.
Moreover, Juventus have a unique style, playing three at the back and five in the middle are tactics used to cramp spaces in midfield and rely on two main strikers upfront to finish the job.
The Italians are likely to take advantage of Chelsea's fragile and open defence with Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill as central defenders after David Luiz's sloppy error which allowed West Brom to score.
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