Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain go head to head at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night in the second leg of their finely-poised Champions League last-16 tie.

The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the French capital three weeks ago as Edinson Cavani cancelled out Branislav Ivanovic's opener at the Parc des Princes.

Jose Mourinho's side head into the game on an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions and with a healthy five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

The Blues also remain unbeaten in Europe this season, having drawn three and won four of their encounters so far.

Meanwhile, PSG currently sit in second place in the Ligue 1 table following just two victories in their last five games. However, Laurent Blanc's men make the trip to London in confident spirits having thrashed Lens 4-1 on Saturday.

Midfielder Blaise Matuidi has claimed that the Parisians are hopeful of getting the right result to go through to the quarter-finals, while Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has challenged his teammates to treat the match like a final.

PSG were close to beating Chelsea in last season's quarter-finals before a Demba Ba strike three minutes from time sent the Londoners into the last four on away goals.

The hosts could be without midfielder Nemanja Matic after he injured his ankle during the team's celebrations following their League Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur. John Obi Mikel is definitely sidelined after undergoing knee surgery, while Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis are all one booking away from a suspension.

Lucas Moura and Serge Aurier will be absent for the visitors with groin and hamstring problems respectively, but Yohan Cabaye is available after recovering from a thigh strain. Marco Verratti and Gregory van der Wiel will both miss their side's next European fixture if they receive yellow cards at the Bridge.

Chelsea:

Form in Champions League: WWDWWD
Form in all competitions: WWDDWW

Possible starting lineup: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Zouma, Ramires, Fabregas, Oscar, Hazard; Costa

PSG:

Form in Champions League: WWWWLD
Form in all competitions: DDWDWW

Possible starting lineup: Sirigu; Van der Wiel, Camara, David Luiz, Maxwell; Verratti, Matuidi, Thiago Silva, Rabiot; Ibrahimovic, Cavani

Sports Mole says: 2-0

Written by
Jack Prescott

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