Nothing brings a smile to the face of supporters quite as effectively as a demonstration of respect and admiration from one of their favourite stars to another.

Simultaneously, no other competition in club football is capable of consistently igniting the same passion and thrill factor as the Champions League.

The excitement then when Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas exchanged messages of support on Twitter in the aftermath of the tournament’s last 16 draw in December which pitted Juventus and Porto against each other, was entirely justified.

Porto pitfalls

“If there is one thing to know about Porto, it is that they keep fighting until the very end. They never give you an easy game, especially at the Estadio do Dragao. This is a side with excellent individuals who never give up.”

Familiar faces

“I still have lots of friends out there and I honestly hope they win the Portuguese title this season. I learnt how to adapt my Brazilian style and play the game the European way with Porto. It’ll be a real pleasure going back and seeing some familiar faces but once the first whistle blows, my focus will be entirely on earning a crucially important win for Juventus.”

From Brazil to Bianconeri

“Every little kid in Brazil is born with the ball at their feet. When I started out with Paranaense I played as I do now down the left side but also at times in central midfield. I actually scored my first goal in a black and white jersey, but not for Juventus! I remember it well, a long-range screamer for Santos in 2010. Maybe it was fate that I would then go on to play for Juve.”

“Coming here was a huge moment in my career. I’ve added something to my game at every club I’ve played for and that is no different here in Turin.”

Wednesday night

“We’ve been training hard to be ready for Wednesday night. Both myself and this team go into every match and every competition with the belief that we can win.”

Collecting 14 points from a possible 18, Juventus qualified for the knockout stages as Group H winners and also as the only side of this Champions League campaign to win all three of their away games.

The Bianconeri’s dominance on the road began with a comprehensive 4-0 victory in September against Dinamo Zagreb, featuring a piledriver from Paulo Dybala as well as clever finishes from Miralem Pjanic and Gonzalo Higuain before Dani Alves’ deflected free-kick late on added the icing on the cake.

Perhaps predictably, the subsequent outings would be considerably more challenging, October’s 1-0 triumph in Lyon requiring no shortage of magic at both ends of the pitch: Gianluigi Buffon proved once again that he was Superman personified, making three world-class saves to deny Alexandre Lacazette from the penalty spot, Nabil Fekir’s drive – deviating wickedly off Andrea Barzagli – and Corentin Tolisso from point-blank range.