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Juventus banking on home help

Juventus have an impressive home record in the UEFA Champions League and the Italian giants will be banking on that to help them overcome the formidable challenge of Chelsea FC and overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit.

Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri and his Chelsea counterpart Guus Hiddink
Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri and his Chelsea counterpart Guus Hiddink ©Getty Images

Juventus will be hoping that their formidable home record in the UEFA Champions League stands them in good stead as they seek to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit in their first knockout round tie with Chelsea FC.

• The first leg at Stamford Bridge proved to be a close-run affair, with Didier Drogba's 14th-minute goal from Salomon Kalou's cleverly-disguised pass ultimately dividing the sides. The defeat was Juve's seventh successive away loss in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds, while Chelsea are now unbeaten in 16 home matches in the competition, but those statistics will count for little in the return at the Stadio Olimpico.

• It is sure to be a special occasion for Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri who is facing the team he managed for four years from 2000. In 2003/04, his final season at Stamford Bridge, he guided the London club to their first semi-final in the competition, where they lost 5-3 on aggregate to AS Monaco FC, but now Ranieri wants nothing more than to see his current charges progress at Chelsea's expense.

• Juve have a mixed record in the European Champion Clubs' Cup when losing the first match of a two-legged tie away from home, winning eight ties but losing nine. In the UEFA Champions League era, the Turin team have overturned a first-leg deficit four times in seven ties overall.

• Chelsea, meanwhile, have travelled with a first-leg advantage on three occasions in the UEFA Champions League proper with mixed results. FC Bayern München were overcome in the 2004/05 quarter-finals, but Liverpool FC (2006/07 semi-finals) and FC Barcelona (1999/00 quarter-finals) turned the ties around to end the London club's interest in the competition.

• Juventus' return to Europe after an absence of two seasons has been a successful one so far as they eased past the challenge of Real Madrid CF to finish top of Group H. Both teams had 12 points, Juve taking first place thanks to two victories against the Spanish giants, 2-1 at home and 2-0 away. Their other games at the Stadio Olimpico ended 1-0 against FC Zenit St. Petersburg and 0-0 against FC BATE Borisov.

• The 1996 winners have also built up an impressive home record in recent years, winning all three group matches at the Stadio delle Alpi in both 2004/05 and 2005/06. In total, they played ten home games in those seasons, winning eight and drawing twice while conceding just two goals. With this season's group campaign taken into account their home record is: P13 W10 D3 with just three goals allowed. Their last home defeat in the competition came against RC Deportivo La Coruña in the first knockout round on 9 March 2004, the Spanish club triumphing 1-0 on the night and 2-0 overall.

• Juve have won ten of their 16 home fixtures against Premier League opponents in UEFA club competition, drawing three of the others. However they have encountered difficulties in their last three contests, drawing two of them 0-0, against Arsenal FC in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and Liverpool FC at the same stage the previous season, bowing out on each occasion having already lost the first leg. In their previous game against English visitors the Bianconeri went down 3-0 to Manchester United FC in the 2002/03 second group stage.

• Those two goalless draws meant that English sides have been responsible for the Turin club's last two departures from the UEFA Champions League. Juve were on the wrong end of a 2-0 aggregate defeat against Arsenal and lost 2-1 against Liverpool. In eleven knockout meetings against teams from England the Turin outfit have prevailed on aggregate five times, although they have lost the last three ties. Juventus did twice beat Liverpool in one-off games, the 1985 European Cup final (1-0) and the 1984 UEFA Super Cup (2-0).

• The tie gives Chelsea a quick return to Italy after their meeting with AS Roma in the group stage when a 3-1 defeat on Matchday 4 meant that last season's runners-up finished Group A in second place on eleven points, one behind Roma. In a total of five visits to that country it was only their second defeat. They have drawn on two occasions and won handsomely in the other, a 4-0 victory in the Stadio Olimpico against S.S. Lazio in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Chelsea failed to win on their travels in this season's group stage, drawing with FC Girondins de Bordeaux and CFR 1907 Cluj either side of the loss in Rome. After Ranieri had guided them to the last four in 2003/04, the Stamford Bridge club enjoyed great success in the UEFA Champions League, going on to reach the semi-finals three times in the next four campaigns. However, only once did they emerge to take their place in the final and even that ended in disappointment, with a penalty shoot-out defeat by Manchester United FC in last season's showpiece in Moscow.

• Tiago spent a season with Chelsea in 2004/05 and played 34 league games as the London club lifted the English championship for the first time since 1955.

• Mohamed Sissoko was an unused substitute for Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the 2006/07 semi-final. Chelsea won 1-0 but Liverpool prevailed on penalties after the Anfield game also ended 1-0 to the home side.

• On 17 June 2008 Nicolas Anelka was a second-half replacement for France in the 2-0 Group C defeat by Italy in Zurich that ended Les Bleu's UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign. Florent Malouda was an unused substitute. On the opposite side were Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini while Alessandro Del Piero was on the bench.

• Malouda played for France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final against an Italy team containing Buffon and Mauro Camoranesi. Del Piero, who scored one of Italy's goals in their triumphant penalty shoot-out, and Vincenzo Iaquinta appeared as second-half substitutes. David Trezeguet missed his penalty for France in the shoot-out, the only failure as Italy won 5-3. The Italian quartet also featured in their 2-0 semi-final victory against a Germany side which included Michael Ballack. Del Piero scored Italy's second goal in extra time in Dortmund.

• Juventus have won three and lost three of their previous penalty shoot-outs in UEFA club competition:
3-0 v AFC Ajax, 1977/78 European Cup quarter-final
1-4 v Widzew Łódź, 1980/81 UEFA Cup second round
4-2 v Argentinos Juniors, 1987 European/South American Cup final
1-3 v Real Madrid CF, 1986/87 European Cup second round
4-2 v Ajax, 1995/96 UEFA Champions League final
2-3 v AC Milan, 2002/03 UEFA Champions League final

• Chelsea have lost both previous penalty shoot-outs in UEFA club competition:
1-4 v Liverpool FC, 2006/07 UEFA Champions League semi-final
5-6 v Manchester United FC, 2007/08 UEFA Champions League final

• The draw for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals will take place at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on 20 March.