Vialli won't write off Juve

Vialli won't write off Juve
Tuesday 24 February, 2009

Ex-Azzurri hitman Gianluca Vialli believes Juventus can see off Chelsea in the battle of his former sides.

Vialli played for Juventus between 1992 and 1996 before heading to England to wear the Chelsea shirt from 1996 until his retirement in 1999.

The 44-year-old will have mixed emotions when he watches the two teams do battle at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League last 16 tomorrow night.

“I'm happy that the two sides have been drawn together because I will be able to spend time with English and Italian friends,” Vialli told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Until last week I would have said that Juventus had the hardest task of the Italian clubs because Chelsea have such potential strength.

“But after seeing the attitude and the spirit of the Juve players on Saturday and the value of their champions I think they can do it.

“On paper, Chelsea are still favourites but I saw a humble Old Lady against Palermo - they accepted that Palermo would dictate the pace but they took their chances.

“Paradoxically I think things will be more difficult in Turin for Juventus because Chelsea play better away from home where they get better results.

“There are lots of fantastic duels ahead such as Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka against Nicola Legrottaglie and Giorgio Chiellini, who are improving as a partnership.

“It will also be interesting to see Alessandro Del Piero and Amauri take on John Terry and Alex.

“The key thing is that Claudio Ranieri's side keep reminding Chelsea that they can do them damage on the break and don't let them boss the game entirely.

“Del Piero could be the secret weapon because the pitch at Stamford Bridge is small and free-kicks are dangerous.

“Distance isn't a problem for Alex, but both teams will look to avoid committing fouls in the final third because they could be punished.”

*chn4