Ranieri returns with revenge in mind

Two teams with outstanding UEFA Champions League home records come face to face in the first knockout round in a contest that brings Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri back to Chelsea FC, the club he managed for four years from 2000.

• Ranieri guided the London club to their first semi-final in the competition in 2003/04, his final season at Stamford Bridge, losing 5-3 on aggregate to AS Monaco FC, and Chelsea then reached the last four three times in the next four seasons. 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.

• In this campaign Chelsea have extended their unbeaten home run in the UEFA Champions League to 15 matches, winning twelve and drawing three since a 2-1 home defeat by FC Barcelona in February 2006. Chelsea won all three Stamford Bridge games in Group A, beating FC Girondins de Bordeaux (4-0), AS Roma (1-0) and, finally, CFR 1907 Cluj (2-1) to book their qualifying place as runners-up on eleven points, one behind Roma. Away, Chelsea fared less well with two draws and a 3-1 defeat in Rome.

• These teams have never met before in UEFA club competition. The last three Italian sides to meet Chelsea have all come from Rome with two meetings with S.S. Lazio. In the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage the Blues won 2-1 at home and 4-0 away. On their debut in the competition, in 1999/00, they faced Lazio in the second group stage when a 0-0 draw in the Stadio Olimpico was followed by a 2-1 home defeat.

• There was also an Italian obstacle for Chelsea in the first group stage that season, the games with AC Milan ending 0-0 in London and 1-1 in Italy. Chelsea's first fixture against Serie A opponents came in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-final when they were paired with Vicenza Calcio, a 3-1 home win wiping out a 1-0 defeat in the away leg.

• 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. Away from Turin, Juventus drew with FC BATE Borisov and FC Zenit St. Petersburg and at home they dropped just two points, thanks to another draw with BATE.

• Juve will be hoping to improve on their record away from home in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds because they have met defeat in all the last six. Their last away win outside the group stage came on 22 April 2003 and a 2-1 extra-time success at FC Barcelona in the quarter-final second leg. It gave Marcello Lippi's men a 3-2 aggregate victory en route to the final at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United. There they were unable to add to their 1996 title triumph, losing to Serie A rivals Milan on penalties.

• The Bianconeri can blame English sides for their last two departures from the UEFA Champions League, both at the quarter-final stage. They lost 2-0 on aggregate to Arsenal in 2005/06 having gone down 2-1 overall to Liverpool FC the previous season. Juve have lost on their last five appearances in England against local clubs and have only been successful in two of the 16 away contests, winning 2-1 against Aston Villa FC in the 1982/83 European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-final and 1-0 away to Manchester United in the 1996/97 group stage. In their 16 visits to play English top-flight sides their record is W2 D4 L10.

• In eleven knockout meetings with English sides on a home-and-away basis, the Turin outfit have prevailed on aggregate five times. Juventus did twice beat Liverpool in one-off games, though, the 1985 European Cup final (1-0) and the 1984 UEFA Super Cup (2-0).

• Juve midfielder 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.

• Nicolas Anelka was a second-half substitute 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 side 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 team which included Michael Ballack. Del Piero scored Italy's second goal in extra time in Dortmund.

• The second leg takes place at the Stadio Olimpico on 10 March.