Guus Hiddink gets the chance to measure himself against one of his most popular predecessors as Chelsea coach when his new team takes on Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday.

GAME: Chelsea at Juventus
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, February 25 - 19:30 PM GMT
LINE: Chelsea -125
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Oddsmakers believe Chelsea will take the home match listing the club as -125 favorites. Juventus is paying +425 with a draw price at +230.

Claudio Ranieri failed to win a trophy in his four-year stint with the club and was ridiculed as The Tinkerman by the British press for constantly switching his lineup. But his humility in the face of adversity endeared him to fans, who protested his firing in 2004.

It could be a strange evening for Hiddink, who has benefited from a comparison with his immediate predecessor Luiz Felipe Scolari, as some of his longer-serving players are looking forward to seeing Ranieri on his first return to Stamford Bridge.

"He brought a lot of important players to the team," Frank Lampard said Tuesday. "He elevated John Terry to captain and he's turned into one of the best captains in the world. He turned us into a team expecting to be challenging for the top.

"Without Claudio Ranieri, I wouldn't be here now. I've the greatest respect for him as a great man as well as a great manager. He helped me develop and opened my eyes to a lot of things."

Ranieri signed Lampard in 2001 for what was widely seen as an exorbitant 11 million pounds, but the England midfielder has gone on to become one of the club's all-time greats. It is that kind of judgment that will guarantee the Italian coach a warm welcome.

"He's popular with the fans here so that adds a nice touch to the game, but he'll be wanting to win," Lampard said.
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Ranieri was feted by Chelsea fans for guiding the team into the Champions League before Roman Abramovich's wealth transformed the club. He was fired at the end of Abramovich's first season with the club despite finishing second in the Premier League and taking Chelsea to the Champions League semifinals.

Yet much of Chelsea's recent success was underpinned by Ranieri's signings. He brought Lampard, Joe Cole and Claude Makelele to west London, all of whom were key members of the squad that won two consecutive Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho.

"He took us to the Champions League semifinal and was a huge part of what we went on to achieve," Lampard said. "No one's got a bad word to say about him around the place."

Lampard and Terry are likely to start against Ranieri's Juventus side as Hiddink returns to the Champions League for the first time since replacing Scolari two weeks ago.

Scolari enjoyed a bright start to his tenure in August but was jeered by fans before he was fired with the team fourth in the Premier League. Hiddink's arrival came as a relief to many supporters and he won his first match in charge, 1-0 at Aston Villa on Saturday.

Juventus won 2-0 at Palermo on Saturday to stay second to Inter Milan in Italy's Serie A.

Ranieri could have France striker David Trezeguet back in the team while Alessandro Del Piero may be able to take advantage of Chelsea's recent fragility at free kicks and corners. The veteran forward has scored from a free kick six times this season.
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