Chelsea edged the first of three Anglo-Italian last-16 ties last night by knocking Juve out 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Olimpico and Ranieri hopes his Serie A rivals can restore Italian pride by beating Manchester United and Arsenal tonight.

"It is very important for Italian football that they advance in the Champions League," he said.

"It is the only way we can get back to having the best league in the world."

Ranieri believes his side provided a good enough advert for the Italian game in the two legs against Chelsea.

He said: "In all the games we have played in the Champions League, we have always done the playing and scored goals.

"It is just a shame because I do not think we deserved this defeat, 1-0 there and 2-2 here.

"I think we were the better team. They had their chances and they took them.

"Overall, we have got to see it as three quarters full.

"Looking at what we did in the competition and the fact that we were beaten by the team who lost the final last year on one penalty, we have got to be satisfied."

Ranieri insisted that Italian clubs were not far behind their English counterparts, but admitted Serie A sides will remain in the shadow of their Barclays Premier League rivals as long as there remains a wealth imbalance between the two leagues.

"Sooner or later, Italian teams will be the best again," he added. "But money is important. It is not all about money, but a lot of it is.

"All of the money is in England and Spain at the moment. Let's just see how the other two Italian teams get on."