Pauleta to lead PSG resistance

By Ben Lyttleton

Bad start
The French side have not won any of their first five Ligue 1 games to leave them in 14th place, their worst start to a campaign for 20 years. However, the Portuguese international hopes that a switch to European action can lift his side out of the doldrums.

Pressure situation
"I'm very happy that this match is coming along now, as it's just the kind of match we need," Pauleta told uefa.com. "Until now, in every game we've started this season, we've been favourites. That put us under pressure as we were obliged to win. The game against Chelsea is a different kettle of fish."

Missing players
Pauleta started PSG's last league game against FC Istres on the bench before coming on in the second half to score his third goal of the season from the penalty spot to secure a 1-1 draw. The team has missed the leadership qualities of departed defenders Gabriel Heinze and Frédéric Dehu, and Pauleta, the team's newly-appointed vice-captain, has vowed to become a more vocal presence among his team-mates.

Growing confidence
"I feel capable of giving a lot more both on and off the field," said Pauleta, who scored 18 league goals last season, his first in the French capital. "When you arrive at a club, you have to first settle in, see how things work and ease yourself in gradually. I wouldn't like it if a newcomer started speaking out straightaway."

Better side
Yet Pauleta pulled no punches in admitting that tonight's opponents Chelsea should be strong enough to beat PSG in France. But that expectation might at last count in PSG's favour. "Chelsea are better than us," he continued.

Surprise result
"This time it's our opponents who will feel obliged to win. The pressure is on them. People will expect them to come here and beat us. I hope that will help us: this is the kind of game which everybody will be up for and with the right spirit, if things go our way, we could pull off a surprise.

Group competition
"We're in a tough group, with Chelsea, a team which has bought the most players and [FC] Porto, the defending champions. They're two difficult teams. But anything is possible: nobody expected Istres or [AS] Saint-Etienne to do so well against us, so that makes me think that we too can pull off a surprise and that we can beat Chelsea."

Team news
PSG will be without the suspended defender Mario Yepes while French international Bernard Mendy is set to have a late fitness test. But Serbo-Montenegrin striker Daniel Ljuboja has recovered from a calf injury and may start his first game for a month.

'Anything's possible'
That could be an extra bonus for a PSG side who are feeling no fear. "I don't think Chelsea are any kind of extra-terrestrial side," said Ljuboja. "We may be struggling in the league but this is a one-off match and we have enough quality in the side to at least match them. Anything's possible."