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Fabio Capello compared Juventus forward Sebastian Giovinco to Chelsea great Gianfranco Zola as the Bianconeri prepare to host the European champions in their crucial Champions League group game on Tuesday.
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Former Italy international Zola was voted Chelsea's greatest ever player by fans in 2003, a vote held shortly before the takeover of Roman Abramovich which changed the club so significantly.
Like Zola, 25-year-old Giovinco is diminutive (standing at just 5' 5") and has the ability to play in several different roles in attack.
The former England manager - who spent six years with the Turin giants as a player and two as their manager - said that, in Giovinco and Mirko Vucinic, the Serie A champions have two players who can help them secure a win which would put their Group E destiny back in their own hands.
"Mirko Vucinic is a player who can make the difference, he's the best attacker that Juventus have," Capello told Italian television show Undici. "Sebastian Giovinco? He was part of the Primavera [youth] squad when I was at Juventus.
"He's a very interesting player, a youngster who needs time. He has great qualities, as well as the physical characteristics of Gianfranco Zola."
Capello added that Juve must try to shackle Chelsea's triumvirate of Eden Hazard Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata if they are to avoid a defeat which would seriously hamper their hopes of reaching the knockout phase.
"They have to play with intelligence because Chelsea's three attacking midfielders are very dangerous," he said. "I think it's the kind of game where you have to play in a strict tactical way."
Now in charge of the Russian national team, Capello's time in charge at Juve has been tainted by the Calciopoli scandal which saw them stripped of two titles - not that he agrees with the verdict.
He said: "I still have those two medals. We were the best side by some way and the only regret is that we didn't do more in the Champions League. We had a team of quality, without which you don't get results."
Finally the 66-year-old turned his attention to the Serie A title race, stating he feels Juventus have no rivals for the championship before criticising the current popularity of the 3-5-2 formation.
He said: "There isn't a race. Juventus will win. In the past there was Cragnotti's Lazio, Tanzi's Parma, as well as Milan and Inter. Today, in Italy, Juve can do what they want.
"The three-man defence is the worst thing about football today. We've gone back 20 years. In reality, it is a five-man defence."