Del Piero: Missing star (GraziaNeri/Allsport)

With qualification for the last eight beyond them, the Italians are intending to field a virtual reserve side at the Stadio delle Alpi.

Italy striker Alessandro del Piero and French defender Lilian Thuram are already missing through injury, and coach Marcello Lippi has decided to rest many of the big names who are fit.

For Lippi, next Saturday's crucial Serie A game away to Parma takes precedence over the Champions League. Juve are only one point behind the joint leaders Inter Milan and Roma and with only seven games of the season remaining, Lippi is determined to protect his best players.

Arsenal will not be guaranteed to go through even if they win in Turin, their fate depending on the Bayer Leverkusen result against Deportivo La Coruna in the other final group game.

A Leverkusen victory renders Arsenal's game irrelevant, but if the Germans lose, Arsenal are through regardless of their result against Juventus. Only if Leverkusen draw will Arsenal need to worry, as they would then need to draw or win to progress.

So Juventus' team selection could well have a bearing on the outcome. UEFA spokesman Mike Lee said the governing body would be powerless to sanction Juventus for playing a weakened team, so long as the side is picked from the 25 names handed to them before the competition started.

'Naming 25 players does leave scope for coaches not to field their strongest side but that is entirely up to them,' he confirmed, although Champions League regulations do require players to conduct themselves 'according to the principles of loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship'. UEFA would have the right to investigate if necessary.

In addition to the Del Piero and Thuram injuries, Juventus are likely to rest goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, whose place will go to Fabian Carini. Neither of Lippi's regular full backs, Alessandro Birindelli nor Gianluca Pessotto, is expected to participate. Their places will go to Cristian Zenoni and Michele Paramatti.