Michael Duberry has told Sports Mole that Chelsea's experience of the Champions League will not necessarily give them an advantage during their quarter-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Many of the predicted starting lineup for tonight's first leg in the Parc des Princes won the competition with the Blues in 2012, while manager Jose Mourinho has lifted the trophy on two occasions during his stints with Porto and Inter Milan.
In contrast, in the PSG squad, only Thiago Motta and Maxwell have winners' medals and coach Laurent Blanc has minimal involvement in the tournament from his time with Bordeaux.
However, former Chelsea centre-back Duberry believes that the quality of player at Blanc's disposal makes the tie a relatively even one.
"They've got Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who gets a lot of praise and hype, and they have other very good players as well," said the 38-year-old.
"Blanc has huge experience form playing for France and the majority of their players are internationals. Even though they haven't won the competition, they will have that hunger and desire, which will drive them on. As a club, they are a novice in Champions League terms, but with the money they've spent, there is nothing novice about that."
Ever since the Qatar Investment Authority gained ownership of the Ligue 1 outfit in 2011, top stars such as Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva have flocked to the French capital.
It is a scenario that Duberry feels is comparable to when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich took control at Stamford Bridge 11 years ago.
"It's similar to Chelsea years ago when they started investing heavily in the transfer market. PSG have a quest [to win the Champions League]. Whether it happens this year, I'm not so sure. They might need a few campaigns to get used to the grind of the Champions League," he added.
"A lot of the other top European clubs have a history in the Champions League. Before the money, Chelsea didn't. Abramovich wanted to dominate Europe and after they had invested in some big names, they established themselves as a force."
"Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United - they all have a history with the competition, but PSG are more like Chelsea. They've had a short affiliation with the tournament, but they want to be the top team in Europe. They are using the Chelsea blueprint and Manchester City are trying to do the same."
Duberry has also had his say on the battle between Chelsea's centre-backs and Ibrahimovic. Find out what he had to say here
Liam Apicella
