Team news

Juventus preview
Alessandro Del Piero is hoping to improve his chances of making Italy's World Cup squad by firing Juventus into the last eight of the Europa League.

The Bianconeri go into the match against Barclays Premier League side Fulham with a 3-1 lead from the first leg in Turin.

Del Piero was absent from that match but is expected to face the Cottagers after scoring twice in Juve's 3-3 draw with Siena on Sunday.

The Juventus striker has not featured for the Azzurri since Euro 2008 and Italy manager Marcello Lippi has not given any indication he will take the striker to South Africa, where Italy will be among the favourites to win the tournament.

That has not put Del Piero off though, and he is keen to send Lippi a message by sealing Fulham's fate at Craven Cottage.

"I'm still very hopeful of making the squad," said the 35-year-old. "I know that Lippi has not chosen the squad yet so there are still chances for me.

"I'm really hopeful about it and I believe that a match like this gives me a good chance of trying to achieve that."

Juve lost ground in their hunt for a Champions League place by throwing away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Serie A's bottom side Siena on Sunday.

Del Piero has warned his team-mates that they cannot afford a similar lapse in concentration.

"We analysed that match the day after with the coach and he made several points that we have to work on," said Del Piero.

"There are lots of areas we can improve and the message was clear: we have to learn and take full concentration regardless of results, whether we are losing or not, so we don't have these kinds of results in the future." G

iorgio Chiellini, Martin Caceres, Claudio Marchisio, Amauri and Michele Paolucci are all injured for the match while the man who scored Juve's opener last week - Nicola Legrottaglie - is suspended.

Zaccheroni will have to choose between goalkeepers Antonio Chimenti and Carlo Pinsoglio as he is also without Gianluigi Buffon and Alex Manninger.

Fulham preview
Fulham striker Bobby Zamora will come up against World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro at Craven Cottage.

Zamora was one of the few players to come away from the first leg with any credit and he is hopeful of getting the better of the 36-year-old, who has won 132 caps for his country.

"I thought I did well in the first leg against him to be honest," said Zamora.

"I held it up well and one thing I noticed is that he didn't like to be run down the channels.

Fulham vs Juventus

Last modified 22:21 18/03/10

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Fabulous Fulham notched the greatest win in their proud history by humiliating Juventus on an unforgettable night at Craven Cottage.

Only two seasons ago, Roy Hodgson's team seemed destined for the Championship before mounting a remarkable recovery.

Last night they staged their latest Great Escape in 90 unbelievable minutes as football reality was temporarily suspended down by the Thames.

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, this Europa League tie appeared to be over when David Trezeguet gave the Serie A side an early lead.

But in a pulsating night at the soldout Cottage, shambolic Juventus had two players sent off - including World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro - as Roy Hodgson's side scored four goals to reach the last eight.

Fulham suffered their heaviest ever European defeat in Turin last week. But back at the fortress of their home ground, they responded with their biggest ever victory.

This might be a poor Juventus side labouring in fifth place in Serie A under a caretaker coach.

But nothing can detract from the achievement of humbling one of the great names in European football in such thrilling style. It was also a personal triumph for Hodgson, who gambled by throwing on Clint Dempsey late in the game for the American to grab the aggregate winner.

Zoltan Gera scored twice after Bobby Zamora opened the scoring before Dempsey settled the tie with a suitably crazy goal with only eight minutes to go. In the 48th game of an incredible season, Fulham were simply sensational.

Playing without the suspended Danny Murphy and Jonathan Greening in midfield, this surpassed the feat of knocking out reigning UEFA Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk in the last round.

Already through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, Fulham can now dream of a crazy cup double. If sticking four goals past Juventus can happen, anything can. The unstoppable Zamora could even score the World Cup winner for England this summer.

This victory was all the more amazing after the Cottagers' dreadful start when Trezeguet, who scored Juve's third goal at the Stadio Olimpico, found the net again after 99 seconds.

Hassan Salihamidzic crossed from the right and Brede Hangeland, who passed a late fitness test on his chest injury, only half-cleared to the France striker and he slotted home.

But the setback only stirred Fulham into action and they were level after nine minutes. In his pre-match press conference, Bobby Zamora had blasphemously suggested Fabio Cannavaro was an old man who was past his best. But last night the former Brighton striker backed up his words.

Paul Konchesky sent over a cross from the left and Zamora contemptuously pushed Cannavaro to the floor before chesting the ball down and drilling home his 16th goal of the season.

Watching Fabio Capello, who was sounded out about the Juventus job earlier this month, must have been impressed.

Cannavaro was more effective after 18 minutes with a sneeky push into the back of Hangeland as the Norwegian rose to head home a Simon Davies corner. But Italy's most capped ever player did not get away with another cynical intervention eight minutes later.

Zamora slipped a through ball to Gera and last-man Cannavaro managed to bring him down even with both hands above his head. When Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers showed him the red card, the outraged Neapolitian stood arguing for a minute as if he had been caught going through a red light.

"I thought the sending off was hard but not as tough as two or three we have had this season," said Hodgson.

Coach Alberto Zaccheroni was forced to sacrifice Antonio Candreva for defender Zdenek Grygera to leave two full-backs at the heart of their creaking rearguard.

Simon Davies hit the crossbar with a curling free kick with third-choice keeper Antonio Chimenti rooted to his line and Zamora could not control the rebound. But after 39 minutes, the red-hot striker flicked Konchesky's pass into the Welshman's path and his low cross was stabbed home by Gera at the near post.

Three minutes after the break, the tie was level 4-4 on aggregate. But again the Italians were furious about the decision. Damien Duff drilled his cross at point-blank range against Diego's outstretched hand  but Gera showed no embarrassment in sending Chimenti the wrong way from the spot.

"I am old school and believe handball should be deliberate," said Hodgson. "But I am a dinosaur in that regard and am fighting against the tide."

With extra time beckoning, Hodgson pulled off right-back Stephen Kelly, pulled Davies back into defence and sent on Clint Dempsey in a three-man attack.

And the gamble paid off with eight minutes to go. Etuhu found Dempsey on the edge of the box and the American was allowed to turn before looping his chip shot into the far corner for a dramatic winner.

Zebina was shown a straight red in injury time for kicking out in frustration at Duff but the Fulham party was already in full swing.