The stage is set for Del Piero to shine

Del Piero won the Champions League early in his career as part of the Juve team which beat Ajax in 1996 but a year later he had to start on the bench against Borussia Dortmund. Although del Piero went on to score in the defeat to the Germans he was disappointed that cach Marcello Lippi had opted for Croat Alen Boksic and Christian Vieri as his twin strikers to start the final.

This season though, despite another injury setback, del Piero has put all those doubts aside with some outstanding performances in Europe, capped by his superb strike against Real Madrid in the semi-final, second-leg.

“I have got over my injury and the post-injury period is behind me. I feel good, I feel on the top of my form,” del Piero said during training ahead of the final.

“Wednesday’s game will be between two teams who will tactically make the most of their strengths but at the same time they can count on class players who can provide the winning blow at any time in the game,” he said. (Reuters)