'It Could Have Been Worse' As Chelsea Prepare To Greet Ranieri

'It Could Have Been Worse' As Chelsea Prepare To Greet Ranieri

The Tinkerman is sure to be warmly welcomed by the Stamford Bridge faithful when the Old Lady visits the Pensioners, but the London side admits that the draw has been relatively kind...

Chelsea have revealed that 'it could have been worse' in the aftermath of this afternoon's Champions League knock-out stage draw, after being paired with Italian side Juventus.

After finishing runners-up to Roma in Group A, the Blues could have been facing the prospect of squaring off against Barcelona, but instead they have drawn competition they regard as more beatable than the Catalan giants.

Claudio Ranieri will lead his Juventus side to a former place of work when the Italians travel to England to face Chelsea in the last 16; it introduces a fascinating sub-plot to the knock-out rounds as the tactician takes the Turin side to the club he led to the Champions League semi-finals in 2004.

David Bernard, the club secretary, admitted to Sky Sports that he was quite pleased with the outcome of the draw.

He said: "Any team at this stage of the competition is obviously quality but it could have been a lot worse, maybe Barcelona.

"It obviously brings back Claudio Ranieri to the Bridge and I am sure Claudio will get a good reception from the Chelsea supporters.

"In Claudio's last season we actually reached the semi-finals and the Champions League which means a lot to him and Chelsea."

Peter Staunton, Goal.com