MELBOURNE Victory will host Italian giants Juventus at the Telstra Dome later this month with the visitors expected to field a side packed with stars.
The game on Friday May 30 is the final stop of the Costa Cruises Juventus Asia-Pacific Tour 2008.
Juventus, which is the most successful club in the history of Italian football, has committed to field its strongest squad – excluding its players that will be involved in Euro 2008.
Italy’s FIFA World Cup winner and Juventus Captain, Alessandro Del Piero, is expected to lead the side against Victory.
Other notable Juventus stars expected to grace Telstra Dome include Serie A’s leading striker, David Trézéguet, former World Player of the Year Pavel Nedved, and Bosnian midfielder Hasan Salihamidžic.
Victory Chairman Geoff Lord, announced the match at Telstra Dome this afternoon alongside CEO Geoff Miles, Coach Ernie Merrick and star striker Danny Allsopp, and said the event will be one of the highlights on Melbourne’s 2008 sporting calendar.
Lord said: “It’s very exciting for Melbourne Victory to be hosting a blockbuster friendly at Telstra Dome against one of the world’s most successful and prestigious football club.
“This match will further enhance Victory’s reputation as Australia’s biggest football club and give us the opportunity to expose our brand to millions of viewers across Europe, Asia and the rest of the world.
“We’re expecting a big Melbourne crowd to witness some of football’s international superstars in action and we’re sure that they’ll be treated to an entertaining match, which will truly highlight the round ball game as Australia’s international football code.”
Tickets for the friendly will go on sale through Ticketmaster to Victory members on Monday, 21 April, Football Family members on Wednesday, 23 April and the general public on Thursday, 24 April.
Costa Cruises Juventus Asia-Pacific Tour organiser, MP & Silva, has selected Australia as one of the stops due to its outstanding sporting facilities and the country’s rapidly growing interest in football.
“Melbourne was a natural choice to host the match – the city offers an array of world class sporting facilities and plays host to some of the biggest events in sports,” said Andrea Radrizzani, MP & Silva’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Australians are passionate about sport and are very supportive of sport events, and we plan to bring other world class sports events regularly to Australia.”
Radrizzani added: “Melbourne Victory is one of Australia’s premier football teams and this match promises to be an exciting spectacle for Australian football fans.”
Juventus Coach, Claudio Ranieri, is equally excited about the match in Melbourne.
“Melbourne Victory is one of the top teams from the A-League, and I’m definitely looking forward to playing the upcoming match in Melbourne,” said Ranieri.
“The club also has a large pool of fans in Australia and we are looking forward to meeting our fans there.”
Secretary General of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Australia, Luca Bottallo, said the local Italian community was looking forward to welcoming one of Italy’s most prestigious football clubs and its Italian heroes.
“On behalf of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and the Italian community at large we are thrilled and delighted to welcome one of Italy’s most successful football clubs, Juventus, to Melbourne, the world’s sporting capital,” said Bottallo.
“We are proud to have supported this project from the beginning and encourage Italians to get involved and embrace this major sporting event.”
Australian goalkeeper, Jess Vanstrattan, who was part of the Joeys side that reached the final of the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup, will be travelling with Juventus and could feature in the high-profile friendly, which will be broadcast to over 40 countries worldwide.
Costa Cruises Juventus Asia-Pacific Tour 2008 will be the first time the club has travelled to Australia since 1984, when the then-reigning Serie A champions faced Australia in a 1-1 draw at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Sauce: fourfourtwo.com.au
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