Richard Aikman / 10 March 2009 Free Bet

For the opening 20 minutes of the first leg it looked as though Chelsea were going to win at a canter. Guus Hiddink's side came out of the traps with such pace and fury that they made Juve's yellow shirts looked like slalom gates at the World Cup Super-G.

Salamon Kalou, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba all had goalscoring chances before Drogba beat Gianluigi Buffon with just 12 minutes gone - a well-taken strike from Kalou's clever through ball. A massacre looked on the cards, and this columnist's 1-0 prediction more than a trifle misguided.

However, slowly but surely Juventus came out of their trance, adjusting to the frenetic pace of the match and making chances for Giorgio Chiellini, Amauri and Alessandro Del Piero, who brought out a fine save from Petr Cech. The second half was also evenly-poised with further chances for either side and Pavel Nedved particularly unlucky to see his vicious shot deflect wide at the end.

So, it's advantage Chelsea, who have since beaten Wigan, Portsmouth and Coventry and stretched Hiddink's winning streak to six out of six. But, as the odds of [3.2] about a Chelsea win in Turin suggest, this tie is far from over, not least because Juventus have overturned first-leg Champions League deficits at home four times in seven attempts.

The sceptics might argue that comparing contemporary sides to those of yesteryear serves little purpose from a betting perspective, especially as nowadays the Premier League has robbed Serie A of its status as Europe's top league.

But in that case it is worth looking at Juve's results in Europe this season, where they put both Zenit St Petersburg (1-0) and Real Madrid (2-1) to the sword. The goalless draw against Artmedia on Matchday Six was a non-event given that Juve were already qualified and the Belorussians had already been knocked out of the competition - and even the bookies have sided with La Vecchia Signora, who are [2.58] to come through at the Stadio Olimpico.

Juventus also remain ahead of every side in Serie A bar Inter Milan and, since the Stamford Bridge reverse, have stuck doggedly to their league cause registering back-to-back 1-0 wins over Napoli and local rivals Torino. Indeed, the Bianconeri won the Turin derby despite resting Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved, Mohamed Sissoko, David Trezeguet and Nicola Legrottaglie - all of whom will be available for selection on Tuesday night. The only key player out for Juve is Mauro Camoranesi, who has missed most of the season through injury, and whose absence might prompt Ranieri to play three up front.

Real Madrid did not know what hit them when Juve beat them twice in the group stages and, after resting their big guns at the weekend, the Bianconeri will throw their all at Chelsea. Their ignominious relegation of two years ago was felt deeply by the club and now they are desperate to make amends and prove themselves worthy of Europe's elite.

The Bianconeri have nothing to lose and with the in-form Nedved having announced his decision to retire at the end of the season and Del Piero having already scored four goals in the Champions League this campaign, Juventus have every chance of upsetting Chelsea's best-laid plans.

Like Chelsea, Juve are very strong at the back. They have conceded just two goals in their last five Serie A matches and they will be happy to bide their time before scoring the goal that will level the tie on aggregate. Under 2.5 goals will not make you rich at [1.63] but is the most likely outcome for two sides with two excellent goalkeepers.

Juve's best chance of beating the excellent Petr Cech will come from set-pieces. Coventry gave Chelsea a few scares at the weekend from free-kicks and long throws and if Alex and John Obi Mikel continue to give away cheap fouls on the edge of the area as they did against their FA Cup opponents on Saturday, Del Piero has the ability to take full advantage. Giorgio Chiellini's headed winner on Saturday came from a Nedved free-kick and Trezeguet, Amauri and Laquinta could all cause the Blues great difficulty with their aerial ability.

Another close game seems certain here as Chelsea will look to protect their lead and hit Juventus on the break, but Italian sides are past masters as 1-0 wins and at [7.2] that's where my money will be.

Best Bets: Under 2.5 goals @ [1.63]; correct score 1-0 @ [7.2]; Juventus to win @ [2.62]