Good evening ladies and gentlemen and you're very welcome to our live text commentary of Paris Saint-Germain's trip to Cyprus to face APOEL in the Champions League.

Surely tonight's clash at the GSP Stadium holds no fear for the French giants then? They managed a 3-2 win over Barcelona, a side that are yet to drop a point or concede a goal domestically, in their last European outing so, really, little old APOEL ought to be a walk in the park, right? Possibly not.

The Cypriot champions have given a very good account of themselves in what looked to be an extremely tricky group for them. Having lost by the odd goal away at Barcelona, and held Ajax to 1-1 draw, there is evidence to suggest that the minnows will refuse to go down without a fight here again.

It is for those reasons why manager Giorgis Donis comes into this one in buoyant mood. Here's what he said to UEFA.com earlier: "For us, every game is crucial and we aim to do our utmost on the pitch. Even in Barcelona, we were still in it right up until the end, while against Ajax we could have won. I don't expect this game to be any different – we can compete against them and I believe we will."

Having said that, Laurent Blanc will be disgusted if his team fly back to Paris tonight with anything less than the three points that are probably needed to preserve their place at the top of Group F, with Barcelona one point adrift and home to Ajax tonight.

They're missing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a massive miss for any team, but they do have more than enough quality elsewhere to compensate for the big man's absence and win here tonight. So, let's see what APOEL have to deal with tonight shall we? Team news is imminent.

APOEL XI: Pardo; Antoniades, Carlao, Joao Guilherme, Mário Sérgio; Vinicius, Nuno Morais; Manduca, Tiago Gomes, Ephram; Sheridan

Paris Saint-Germain XI: Sirigu; Van der Wiel, Luiz, Silva, Maxwell; Verratti, T. Motta, Matuidi; Lucas, Cavani, Pastore

APOEL subs: Chiotis, Riise, Kaka, Djebbour, Sotiriou, Alexander, De Vincenti.

Paris Saint-Germain subs: Douchez, Cabaye, Camara, Aurier, Digne, Chantome, Bahebeck

Right so we'll start with the visitors and the big news is that Thiago Silva does indeed start for PSG. Yep, the Brazilian had been out of action since August with a hamstring injury but he will make his long-awaited comeback tonight, partnering David Luiz, Gregory van der Wiel and Maxwell in a very decent looking back four!

Elsewhere, Marco Verrratti, Blaise Matiudi and Tiago Motta make up a solid midfield trinity, while Lucas Moura and Javier Pastore offer wide support for lone striker Edinson Cavani. Zlatan, as we know, remains sidelined. Quite a decent side that. What about Apoel?

Well, I can tell you that Irishman and former Celtic striker Cillian Sheridan spearheads the Cypriot's attack tonight, with the likes of Tiago Gomes, Georgios Ephram and Gustavo Manduca in midfield. Incidentally, Manduca is their highest scorer in the Champions League with five goals. That ought to sum up the gravity of APOEL's task tonight.

So, what do we make of the teams? Laurent Blanc is certainly taking no chances, is he? This is a competition he will want to do well in this season. But can they go all the way. Would you back against them? Me neither.

They were dreadfully unlucky not to reach the semis last season after Demba Ba struck very, very late to send Chelsea through on away goals. The away-goal rule also undermined them in the 2012-13 campaign, too, as they went out to Barcelona on that occasion. Surely they're in for a bit of luck if and when they reach the last-16 stage?

You could argue that Blanc's future as PSG coach hinges on making progress in the Champions League this season. Owner Nasser Al-Khelafi has poured quite a bit of money into the club - just a bit - and sooner or later he will most definitely want to see them move closer to winning the biggest prize in club football. Ligue 1 triumphs are great and all, but it is hard to gauge their quality in a division where PSG stand head and shoulders above the rest. They beat Barcelona last time out, though, so who's to say they can't improve on their quarter-final showings of the last two seasons?

Bench Watch: The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed the surname Riise on the APOEL bench, and yes that is John Arne Riise, formerly of Liverpool and Fulham. With three Champions League goals to his name, the Norwegian defender is actually his club's second most prolific player in the competition, but he starts on the bench.

And what about Paris Saint-Germain? Well, Yohan Cabaye is the biggest name on their bench tonight. He netted in the 3-1 win over Lens on Friday, so he might feel a bit aggrieved to have been left out tonight. However, if things aren't going PSG's way here at the GSP Stadium then APOEL won't want to see someone of Cabaye's calibre coming on. They certainly won't tweet "Cabaye has now taken his tracksuit off, fortunately he has a Paris Saint-Germain strip on underneath."

Referee Watch: So, who is charged with making the big calls tonight? That would be Ovidiu Hategan of Romania, who has been a referee since he was 16. Who grows up wanting to be a referee? This bloke apparently. Fair play. He's 34 now, and has five previous Champions League games under his belt.

Celebrity Watch: As you may or may not know, Jay-Z and Beyonce attended PSG's last Champions League fixture to watch les Parisiens beat Barcelona at Parc de Princes. Have they followed their team to Nicosia? No. Bloody part-timers, but I'll let you know if any other A-listers pop up on the grid. Unfortunately, being in Cyprus, the best we can hope for is probably Peter Andre.

Right, we're about seven minutes from kickoff folks but the players are yet to appear on the field. Surely they'll be arriving any time now.

Plenty of noise and dancing around from the APOEL section of the GSP Stadium. They're up for this, and they'll want to be their team's 12th man tonight. We're apparently three minutes until kickoff but the players are nowhere to be seen yet so this may be delayed by about five minutes.

Right, the players are on the field lapping up that Champions League anthem. There's 22,000 fans inside the GSP Stadium, and the vast majority hoping to see a big upset. Will it happen? Time will tell. Kickoff is imminent.

Kickoff! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're off, my friends. PSG, lining up in a red shirt, get us underway.

The game is only about 40 seconds old when Paris Saint-Germain threaten. Cavani does well to hold the ball up from the kickoff, before spreading play wide to Lucas, who drove a decent cross in for Pastore but it was cleared.

Shot! Really good play by APOEL, who nearly take the lead. George Ephram cuts a cross back for Cillian Sheridan, who fires straight at Sirigu from a good position inside the box. Either side of Sirigu and it's 1-0. Big chance.

Decent spell of possession by APOEL, who fizz in another corner just then but Cavani ultimately gets it away. Incidentally, it's APOEL's first game since before the international break, but there's not a hint of rustiness so far.

The referee calls a halt to the game to allow Matiudi receive treatment. The midfielder went crashing into Joao Guilherme, who looks a big unit. Fortunately for Matiudi he's a big bloke himself so he's back on his feet and play is restarted.

PSG know they're in a game here. APOEL have offered some attacking threat but they're also a physical mob, not afraid to stifle their French counterparts as Lucas goes to ground following a late challenge by Sheridan. Free kick.

Shot! PSG get their first shot through Thiago Motta, who drives an ambitious shot toward Pardo's goal from around 30 yards. Never threatening.

Big let off for Paris Saint-Germain as a routine pass from Maxwell rolls under the boot of Thiago Silva, almost setting Sheridan clear, but the Brazilian does really well to make up for it. It's his first game for two months for rustiness is to be expected from Thiago.

APOEL are playing 11 men behind the ball when PSG are in possession. It could be a difficult night for the visitors, and it's proving that so far as Lucas's over-the-top ball for Cavani rolls out for a goal kick.

Paris Saint-Germain well on top but no clear-cut chances as yet. Marco Verratti launches a decent ball for Cavani, who nips away from his marker but there's too much pace on the pass.

Shot! Javier Pastore registers Paris Saint-Germain's first shot on target, but it's from distance and was comfortably held by Pardo. They're inviting PSG to try break them down but they've got no answers so far.

Incidentally, PSG won 1-0 the last time they played APOEL away, which was a good 21 years ago now in the 1993-14 Cup Winners Cup. We may be in for a repeat of that scoreline. It's not going to be a goal fest. Very, very tight so far.

Chance! Oh this is a chance. Good play from Lucas Moura on the right-hand side sees the midfielder evade a couple of challenges before cutting back to the unmarked Cavani, who then produced an air-kick in his attempt to thrash the ball past Pardo. PSG's best chance, and Cavani knows it.

Georgios Ephrem has looked quite lively for APOEL, easily their best attacking player thus far. They need to get him in the game more.

Excellent defending from Antoniados. Pastore did really well to stand up a cross for Moura, but Antoniados, facing his own goal, manages to head it behind him and away to safety. Good work from the left-back.

Superb build-up play from APOEL there, some clever one-touch passing outside PSG's box but Vinicius chooses one pass to many and tries to find Sheridan instead of taking aim. Still, promising signs.

Joao Guillherme slightly fortunate to escape without a yellow card after a late challenge on Cavani. Referee might've been too afraid to book him because he is massive.

There's a decent set-piece chance from APOEL now after Matiudi brought down Ephrem. Decent ball in from Mario Sergio, plenty of whip, but it's cleared by Thiago Silva.

They're really not a bad side APOEL; bit defensive out of possession, but when they have it they've looked dangerous and easy on the eye, lots of one-touch passing going on. Still, their style might win fans but it's not going to win games as it stands. They've not got much cutting edge.

Lucas's teasing cross is cut out by Carlao and PSG prepare to whip in a corner. Before that happens though, John Arne Riise looks like he's coming on. Antoniados goes off on a stretcher. It's unclear what happened.

Substitution: Yep, Riise is on for the stricken Antoniados, whose injury remains a mystery at this time.

Chance! Fabulous over-the-top ball is expertly controlled by left-back Maxwell of all people, who beat the offside trap, but Carlao recovered just in time.

Three minutes added on: Plenty of time for PSG to nick a goal before the break. APOEL need the whistle because the visitors are just starting to get on top a little.

What a no-nonsense tackles this is from Joao Guilherme, who slides into Lucas and, most importantly, wins the ball cleanly. He and fellow centre-half Carlao have been excellent.

So, that's all she wrote in that half, my friends. APOEL, to their credit, are good value for the half-time draw. They've produced an excellent defensive performance to keep PSG at bay, and they're not exactly bad going forward either. It's been a half of little chances, with Cavani and Sheridan spurning the best opportunities for their respective team.

They've got enough to win this though, don't they? Surely? Cavani should've put PSG one up, but fluffed his lines at attempting to convert Lucas Moura's cut-back after good work from the winger. You expect more from such a world-class name like Cavani.

Sheridan, meanwhile, missed a decent chance for APOEL inside a few minutes. The Irishman found himself on the end of Ephrem's cut-back. He got his shot off, unlike Cavani, but it was straight at Sirigu unfortunately for the Cypriots.

Right, kickoff isn't far away now. Can APOEL hang on and even nick this? Or will the heavy pre-match favourites find a way through what has proved a resolute APOEL defence? Time will tell, my friends.

Restart! And we're back underway in Nicosia folks. I fancy a decent second half.

Chance! Really good start to this half by PSG as Cavani forces Pardo into his first meaningful save by nodding Lucas's cross goalward, but the keeper tipped it over.

Good counter attack by PSG but Pastore, with Lucas free on his left, plays a really bad pass and Carlao recovers. A better ball and the visitors were in there. APOEL haven't started this half as good as they finished the first.

Much of the same from PSG in this half, however. Plenty of possession but very little by way of cutting edge. Still, they've got Cabaye on the bench, and he's capable of unlocking a defence isn't he. I wonder if we'll see him soon.

Excellent attacking player from Maxwell, who skins Mario Sergio but his cross is blocked by Joao Guilherme, who has been superb it has to be said.

Off the line!!!! Despite their 70% possession, PSG nearly go behind, and would have if not for David Luiz. Gustavo Manduca skins Van Der Wiel and stands up a cross for Thiago Gomis, who beats Sirigu with his header but Luiz does fantastically well to head off the line. That should've been the 'no more Mr Nice Guy' moment from Paris Saint-Germain. They need to make their possession count and open the scoring.

Another over-the-top ball from Thiago Motta goes begging. He has played about seven of these all night and every single one of them has trickled out for a goal kick. Cavani generously claps the intention but he's thinking something else.

Chance! And it's APOEL again! It's scrappy, but Manduca lifts a slight ball over the head of Thiago Silva, Sirigu comes rushing out but the ball manages to squeeze beneath him, but Luis was again on hand to clear the danger and prevent Sheridan from tapping into an empty net.

Chance! Another decent chance for APOEL! They're firmly the better team. Sheridan finds himself through on goal, albeit at an angle, but decides to try cut inside Silva before failing, but the ball falls to Morais who blazes into row-z on the half volley. Difficult one to control, yet a chance. PSG perhaps should be losing this one.

Close! Really good response by Paris Saint-Germain, and Lucas - easily their best player - cuts inside Riise on to his left before drilling a left-footed shot wide of Pardo's post. It's as close as PSG have come. Promising.

Substitution: In between those two chances we saw Cillian Sheridan replaced by Rafik Djebbour. Good shift by Sheridan but lacked that little something.

Double substitution: Two PSG subs to tell you about now, with Bahebeck replacing Marco Verratti, while Pastore came off for Cabaye. Pastore has been dreadful. Can Bahebeck and Cabaye inspire the visitors? You'd like to hope so, because they badly need it.

Chance! Oh what a decent chance this is. Gomis plays Ephren through on goal, but his first touch is shocking and allows Sirigu to reach it before him. Incredible. APOEL could, and should, be one or two up!

Right, about 14 minutes left here and, as it stands, it's heading for a stalemate. PSG have been poor, in truth. They don't deserve three points, but they might yet get them.

Substitution: One last sub for APOEL now as Tomas de Vicenti replaces Nuno Morais - a striker for a midfielder! That should tell you all you need to know about APOEL's ambition to win this.

Can't believe I'm saying this, but there's 10 minutes remaining and PSG will be lucky to hold out for a point here.

Fantastic from Carlao there again, towering above Bahebeck to win a header that Pardo comes to collect. He's been excellent tonight, the centre-half.

Heartbreak for APOEL. Cavani has surely nicked all three points for les Parisiens here. It came in fortuitous circumstances, as the striker ended up scoring when he was laying down on the turf after a goalmouth scramble, but they all count. Crazy stuff in Nicosia.

John Arne Riise prepares for a long throw and, if the football gods are just, it will yield a reward, but it doesn't and PSG get it away.

PSG bossing the possession now and it doesn't look like APOEL will nick a deserved equaliser. They look deflated, and understandably so. This one should end 1-0.

Well, that's all she wrote my friends. Edinson Cavani struck an 86th-minute winner to break APOEL hearts after a gallant performance from the hosts in Nicosia. Part of me wants to cry for them. That's football, guys.

And that's all from us tonight, ladies and gents. We hope you've enjoyed our text commentary and stay tuned for upcoming analysis and ratings of what has been a robbery in Cyprus. PSG won't care. Until next time...