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The 31-year-old believes the Bianconeri have the quality to send the reigning European champions home empty handed, and has singled out Andrea Pirlo as the key man

By Sergio Stanco

Samuele Dalla Bona is confident Juventus have what it takes to beat Chelsea in Tuesday's Champions League Group E encounter.

The Turin side currently sit in third place, trailing their opponents by one point, and Dalla Bona believes they could leapfrog the Blues in the table on Tuesday.

"In my opinion, Juventus can beat Chelsea. It's true that Chelsea have a great team and that they have more international experience. However, Juve are the most English side of all the non-English teams," Dalla Bona told

"They play at a very high pace, always pressuring their opponents and are very physical. I expect an entertaining encounter. It will not be easy, but I believe that Juventus in the end have a good chance of being victorious."

The former Chelsea man then went on to praise the Bianconeri's midfield, and singled out Andrea Pirlo as the player who could make all the difference.

"For me, Juventus have one of the best midfields in the world with Pirlo, [Arturo] Vidal and [Claudio] Marchisio. Chelsea have a strong midfield as well, though. That's where the game will be decided, and Pirlo could be decisive.

"He has made a step up in quality since he was turned into a deep-lying playmaker by [Carlo] Mazzone. He was already strong as a trequartista, but he's simply excellent in his current position. He always plays at a high level. He's a phenomenon."

Dalla Bona played for Chelsea between 1998 and 2002, before returning to his native country and joining AC Milan.


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