Weather Afternoon: 10°c Sunny spells Tonight: 4°c Partly Cloudy Night

Sport

Alessandro Del Piero
Letting fly: Alessandro Del Piero, firing in a shot on goal during the first leg at Stamford Bridge, will start the game as Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri goes for goals

Ranieri plans to spring an early surprise on Hiddink

Simon Johnson
9 Mar 2009


Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri says he will go for broke in his attempt to knock Chelsea out of the Champions League in Turin.

Ranieri confirmed he will start with Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet up front as he attempts to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg against his former club.

“We need a goal right away,” said Ranieri. “We need to play like we know how and score goals.
“Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has had some great results but sooner or later he'll have to lose.”
Ranieri believes that the crowd at
the Stadio Olimpico di Torino can make a big difference in helping the Italians to reach the quarter-finals.

“English clubs can struggle on the road,” he told BBC Online. “Our fans really need to give us a hand.”

Chelsea, who have won all five matches under Hiddink, failed to win away from home in this season's group stage, drawing at Bordeaux and CFR Cluj and losing 3-1 at Roma.

Juventus have not lost their last 13 home matches in the Champions League, recording 10 wins.

However, Juve were eliminated by English clubs in their last two appearances, by Liverpool in 2005 and Arsenal the following season. The 1985 and 1996 champions sat out the last two seasons following the Italian match-fixing scandal.

Michael Ballack believes there is a new resolve about Chelsea under Hiddink that has seen them progress to the semi-finals of the FA Cup at the expense of Coventry on Saturday.

Arsenal or Hull await in the last four and the players will fancy their chances of going all the way now they are looking like their old selves again. Ballack said: “Hiddink is a great
character, he has great charisma and now we have a very good discipline in the team, which
is important if you want to win something.

“That was always there but there is tactical discipline on the pitch and you can see the team has gone back to our old ways.

“He has great experience and has a lot to say. When we are 1-0 down we can bounce back and we still have the power to control a game. We have to look forward from now.”

A year ago Chelsea suffered the humiliation of being knocked out by Championship club Barnsley in the quarter-finals, yet there was no danger of a repeat at Coventry.

Many managers would have been tempted to take a gamble and rest key players ahead of the clash against Juventus in the Champions League tomorrow night. Former manager Avram Grant did it to his and the team's cost against Barnsley when Frank Lampard didn't even make the bench.

However, this year Hiddink picked his best team out of the players who were fully fit. The Dutchman was rewarded with a convincing win at the Ricoh Arena and it has also given the squad a perfect boost ahead of their game in Turin.

Ballack added: “It is always important if you win and this gives us confidence for the Champions League. ”

Crucially, Didier Drogba, who scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory against Juventus in the first leg of their last-16 tie, showed he is ready to prove as much of a threat in the return match with the opening strike against Coventry.

It was his third goal since Hiddink recalled him to the side, having been made a scapegoat in the latter stages of Scolari's reign. The sight of Michael Essien coming on as a substitute against Coventry in the second half also handed the club a major lift.

They have missed him terribly during the six months he has been out with a knee injury but he has a chance of starting against Ranieri's side.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are looking to sign winger Ricardo Quaresma on a permanent basis from Inter Milan this summer, with Florent Malouda set to be sold to help fund the transfer.

Quaresma joined Chelsea on loan for the rest of the season in January after struggling to settle at the Italian club.

Reader views (2)

 Add your view

Quaresma signed on a permanent deal ..... good idea all dependent on how much Inter want ...... at least this article is highlighting a key issue for Chelsea .... need wide players urgently .... without J Cole we look very lightweight and our play is annoyingly narrow .... Quaresma is finding his feet & Malouda well he is the french version of Gronjkaer this season, all his confidence has gone so the sooner he is off for a new challenge the better ..... along with the signing of Quaresma maybe Abanglahor ..... instead of playing 30 million for Scheva why not tempt Villa with a 20-25 million bid ..... or (Malouda) + cash! Abanglahor on one wing with Joe Cole on the other for next season ...... now that could be interesting ..... and as for tomorrows game if we keep it tight at the start am confident we will get through ..... sorry Tinkerman loved you when you were at the bridge but Hiddink to take us through to the next stages .......

- Melly, Cartagena, 09/03/2009 18:57
Report abuse

No mention of Liverpool being knocked out by Barnlsey before Chelsea?

- Terence Harrington, Canterbury, UK, 09/03/2009 12:41
Report abuse


Add your comment

 

Terms and conditions Make text area bigger You have  characters left.

We welcome your opinions. This is a public forum. Libellous and abusive comments are not allowed. Please read our House Rules.

For information about privacy and cookies please read our Privacy Policy.


 

 

  • Chris Robshaw to captain England for rest of Six Nations Chris Robshaw Chris Robshaw will lead England for the rest of the Six Nations after winning his two games as captain
  • Thierry Henry set for final game for Arsenal against AC Milan Thierry Henry Thierry Henry will play his final game for Arsenal at the San Siro with manager Arsene Wenger wishing he could stay for longer
  • I've played at Wembley, thanks to the JLS boys Phillips Idowu Phillips Idowu exclusive: JLS are a cool bunch of guys, I've got all their albums and I've followed them closely since The...
  • Chelsea stars say 'get Guus ­Hiddink in now' Guus ­Hiddink Senior Chelsea players want Guus ­Hiddink to return to Stamford Bridge as manager and save the club's season
  • Robin Van Persie has score to settle on his return to big stage Arsenal players Arsenal striker was harshly sent off this time last year but a brilliant run of form since has put him in a perfect position to put his...
  • England's luck is in as Charlie Hodgson leads the charge Charlie Hodgson Fly-half never gave up on Test career and that spirit is serving the team well
  • Shed tears for taxpayers not Rangers fans Rangers Ibrox Patrick Barclay: Administration is no fun for any club but it is still a relatively easy way out for the owners and...
  • Sean Dyche delighted with Valentine's Day victory for hard-working Watford Craig Forsyth Watford boss Sean Dyche hailed the Hornets' team spirit as they made it 10 points from 12 to continue their upward movement in the...
  • Alan Curbishley is No1 choice for Wolves Alan Curbishley Alan Curbishley is due to be interviewed for the job of Wolves manager
  • Javier Hernandez ready to embrace Europa League Javier Hernandez It might be a Thursday night on Channel Five - but Manchester United's clash with Ajax does sound like a Champions League game
  •