Juve get down to business

Juventus FC have arrived in Manchester in determined mood for the UEFA Champions League final with Pavel Nedved among those making the trip.

No worries
Marcello Lippi will be present for a Juve press conference at 14.00 local time (15.00CET) at Old Trafford before putting his side through their paces on the pitch later in the day. While Wednesday night's opponents AC Milan have seen Jon Dahl Tomasson ruled out and have doubts over Christian Abbiati and Alessandro Costacurta, Lippi has a strong squad to call from. The only major absentee will be the suspended Nedved, but he was with the team when they travelled to England from La Caselle airport in Turin yesterday.

Focus on Del Piero
With a mixed weather forecast, it was no surprise to see goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon sporting a woolly hat and sunglasses at Manchester airport, but most attention was on Alessandro Del Piero, as he strode purposefully from the plane. In Nedved's absence, more will be required from Del Piero, but he is ready for the challenge.

High hopes
"Juve are not a team of eleven players, we have a squad full of players of the highest level who have been rotated in Serie A and the Champions League," Del Piero said. "I hope we can show that we can perform and win without him."

Change needed
Nedved’s absence means Lippi will have to make changes to the midfield that beat Real Madrid CF 3-1 in the Champions League semi-final. Lippi may opt for Mauro Camoranesi on the right and Gianluca Zambrotta on the left, or possibly play Zambrotta on the right and Marco Di Vaio on the left.

Early return
Whatever the result, Juventus will head straight back to Italy after the match. The players are due to arrive back at La Caselle in the early hours of Thursday morning, and will hope to have done enough to ensure a victory celebration upon their arrival.