Chelsea v. Juventus 'first'

The Blues face Italian side Juventus for the first time in a European competition, when they meet at Stamford Bridge tonight.

The two sides have never met.  Chelsea will meet their ex-manager Claudio Ranieri, who was sacked in 2004 by owner Abramovich.

Ranieri did not win any trophy for Chelsea in his four-year stint at Stamfod Bridge.  He remains popular with both the team and with Blues fans.  Mid-fielder Frank Lampard had nothing but praise for Ranieri.

"He helped me develop from a West Ham player who maybe hadn't seen the real world in footballing terms, and he opened my eyes to things," he said.

Hamstring

The side will also have to play in the first round of the Champions without midfielder Deco who has a minor hamstring tear.  Ricardo Carvalho is on the brink of returning after a similar injury. Michael Essien is unlikely to feature despite returning to training.

Juventus is likely to play Trezeguet and Tiago up front, after returning to health.

The Italians are on their way to topping their group in the Champions League qualifying stages.

Juventus conceded only three goals and they warmed up for the London fixture with a 2-0 win at Palermo on Saturday to stay second behind Inter Milan in Italy's Serie A.