PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V JUVENTUS - PART TWO
Continuing the build-up to tonight's European opener, Rick Glanvill and Paul Dutton get tactical and statistical…
TACTICAL BRIEF
Antonio Conte's Juventus offer a similar tactical test to last season's visitors Napoli, with Euro 2012's star playmaker Andrea Pirlo among their ranks tonight. Chelsea's impressive new wide men should test the Italians' defensive capabilities.
Key battles
Conte deploys his troops in a 3-5-2 formation, converting to 3-3-4 when they are attacking, with the wing-backs Paolo De Ceglie and Martín Cáceres pushing on.
When the more counter-attacking Napoli lined up with three at the back in last season's Round of 16, Chelsea perhaps missed a trick by not switching from the usual 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3, pitching three against three in the final third.
Outflanking or stretching a back three like Napoli's or Juve's is a key objective. In Naples Branislav Ivanovic was asked to play almost as a winger, firing in crosses, but ultimately reducing numbers at the other end of the pitch.
It also meant the Blues' defensive right was frequently exposed with rapid counterattacks, and the Neapolitans and their highly-prized frontline ran out 3-1 winners.
The key difference in the home return leg was the sheer force of will of Chelsea - in particular Didier Drogba - plus an Agincourt of crosses, and an intimidating Stamford Bridge crowd baying for goals. Tall at the back, Juve are less likely to be troubled by high balls.
Roberto Di Matteo, newly installed, retained the same formation and put Ramires on the left and Daniel Sturridge on the right upfront and asked more questions of the visitors. It meant the dangerous Lavezzi could not afford to stay forward as he had in Naples.
Juventus play a fast, incisive game. Andrea Pirlo is their lynchpin, and opposition teams have a degree of success taking special measures to stop everything going through the elegant playmaker.
For Chelsea, Juan Mata's can-opening qualities were missed at the weekend when he had only just returned from his well-earned rest period after a busy summer.
His presence at QPR might well have made the difference between a draw and a win, so evident is the chemistry between him, Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres in the early part of the season.
The two Spaniards both scored past Gianluigi Buffon in their country's 4-0 UEFA Euro 2012 final victory over Italy. The goalie's Juve teammates Pirlo, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Claudio Marchisio were also involved in the game.
On Saturday the Blues looked livelier for the introduction of winger Victor Moses - making a bright debut - and a hungry-looking Daniel Sturridge in the central role he often talks about. The busyness around the QPR box that followed the switch to a 4-3-3, with Ramires dropping deeper, provided the manager with further considerations for tonight.
Di Matteo may ask his right-back to stay back more than usual, leaving the likes of Sturridge, Hazard, Moses or Mata to exploit the wide spaces. He will want to leave enough at the back to cover Juve's danger men: small, dynamic Sebastian Giovinco and Mirko Vucinic, who plays off him. They are joint league top scorers with two apiece so far.
As with Napoli's coach Walter Mazzarri last season, Antonio Conte, who likes to tinker during games, is suspended from the touchline. Up to half his outfield players will have little or no Champions League football under their belts and surely would have benefited from his presence. Chelsea are vastly more experienced at this level and will hope to make that count.
It's likely Chelsea will have five survivors from the starting line-up at the Bridge three and a half years ago: Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, John Mikel Obi and John Terry.
Juventus are likely to have just two. Experienced goalie Buffon and defender Chiellini both played on Sunday at Genoa.
There are some familiar names from the Premier League in the Juve squad though. Centre-forward Nicklas Bendtner, yet to come off the bench for his new team, was on the losing side in six of the eight games he's faced Chelsea, with Arsenal and Sunderland. Paul Pogba was highly rated at Manchester United and was an unused sub during last season's 3-3 at the Bridge.
