Turin showdown for prize strikers

By Richard Whittle

Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final between Juventus FC and FC Barcelona brings together not only two of Europe's most lethal strikers but a pair whose touch and vision add an extra dimension to any contest.

Unique talents
Alessandro Del Piero and Patrick Kluivert are unique talents in that their link play is deemed just as important as their finishing. While Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooij, Filippo Inzaghi and David Trezeguet are seen as goalscorers in the classic mould, Del Piero and Kluivert perform much of their best work on the fringes of the penalty area although they have managed four and five goals respectively in the competition so far.

Fleet of foot
Feints, tight turns and adroit passing pepper their game while their touch on the ball and quick feet can mesmerise any defence. The slightly built Del Piero can at times be muscled off the ball more easily than the more statuesque Kluivert but neither player's bravery can be brought into question.

Footballing superstar;
Both stepped into the limelight as teenagers. Kluivert was part of the prodigious crop of AFC Ajax academy graduates that formed the basis of their 1995 Champions League triumph. Aged 18, he scored the only goal in the final against AC Milan. Already a bona fide footballing superstar, Kluivert joined Milan the next year before moving on to Barcelona in 1998. The fact he has averaged over a goal every two games for three successive seasons in the Primera División shows what a shrewd addition he was.

Destined for greatness
Del Piero, meanwhile, was another one destined for greatness, bursting on to the Serie A scene as a precocious 18-year-old back in 1993 after just 18 outings with Serie B club Calcio Padova. His dazzling skill, speed and deadly free-kicks brought five goals in just eleven outings and heralded the exit of the until then imperious Robert Baggio from Juve the following season.

Young prodigy
Three Champions League finals between 1996 and 1998 led Juve's late patron Gianni Agnelli to christen the young prodigy 'Pinturicchio' after the artistic talents of the 15th-century painter. However, a serious knee injury in November 1988 reduced much of that early verve over the past three seasons.

Immense self-confidence
Immense self-confidence is the perfect attribute for a striker and Kluivert and Del Piero both possess this quality in abundance - as witnessd by their ability to score winners in major European finals.

Kluivert shines
Their fortunes have contrasted this term. In a season where Barcelona have been tremendous in Europe but ordinary domestically, Kuivert has shone on both stages. The Dutchman has contributed to Barça's spectacular Champions League campaign; but he has been no slouch at home either with 12 goals in 25 league games, including two hat-tricks.

Frustrating season
Del Piero, on the other hand, has had a frustrating season hampered in part by a thigh strain sustained in a league game against Atalanta BC in early February that kept him on the sidelines for two months. However, the 28-year-old has still managed 16 league goals and made a timely return to play a central role in the derby win over Torino Calcio last weekend as Juve extended their lead at the top of Serie A.

Classic encounter
So take Del Piero, who is Italy's leading marksman in the Champions League with 28 goals, and Kluivert, with a history of denying Italians in this competition, and what is already set to be a classic encounter becomes one which no fan of attacking football can afford to miss.