FC Porto vs Paris Saint Germain preview - Moutinho happy at Porto

Posted Wednesday, October 03, 2012 by PA

Joao Moutinho has handed Porto a boost on the eve of their Champions League clash against Paris St Germain by reiterating his commitment to the club.

The midfielder was strongly linked with a move during the summer, with English Premier League side Tottenham reportedly close to completing a deal on deadline day.

Zenit St Petersburg are expected to make a January bid and Barcelona have also been mentioned, but Moutinho, who will line up against PSG at the Estadio do Dragao, is committed to his current employers.

"I made the decision to stay with Porto," he said, when asked about his future.

"We believe in the value and quality we have here. I have nothing to say, except that I'm happy and what I want most is to win.

"I decided to stay with Porto because I believe in what the whole project has been doing. It was a decision that was best for me."

Porto and PSG are fancied to finish in the top two places in Group A and both opened their accounts first time out with victories over Dinamo Zagreb and Dynamo Kiev respectively.

That means the head-to-heads between the sides could be decisive and Moutinho is expecting a crunch match.

"I think it will be tough game against a very good team, but we know our quality and we will try to demonstrate in the field that we are superior," he said.

"We know all about Paris St Germain. They are a team which have their strengths and we will try to counteract them, show our quality, play at full strength and try to come out on top."

The visitors are expected to restore Ezequiel Lavezzi and Clement Chantome to their side after injury and suspension respectively, while Jeremy Menez should also return having been rested.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, has fuelled speculation over a move for Chelsea's Ashley Cole by declaring the England man to be "the best left-back in the world".

There would be no shortage of suitors for the 31-year-old were he to quit the European champions and, asked about reports PSG would be one of them, Ancelotti told ESPN STAR Sports: "This is normal because a lot of players are linked with Paris St Germain in the market.

"The newspapers said that 100 players could come here.

"For this season, we have a very good squad, but next year I don't know what is going on. (But) Ashley Cole is the best left-back in the world at the moment."