"There Is a Way to Beat Man City', Says French Ace

Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda has backed the club to advance into the knock-out stages of the Champions League when they play Valencia on Tuesday.

A 2-1 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen in Germany means the Blues need a win or a goalless draw at home to the La Liga side in their final Group E clash at Stamford Bridge.

Malouda has been encouraged by Chelsea's 3-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday which brought to an end a poor run of results for Andre Villas-Boas' side.

"We have done a big mistake in Germany against Leverkusen and we have to correct that at home in front of our fans," said Malouda.

"We want to have our fans behind us. That is what we need at the moment. We don't think about defeat. We have a positive way of thinking.

"What we are looking for is a victory to qualify. Every time we start a game it is to win, so we are not thinking about this scenario."

Chelsea welcome league leaders Manchester City to Stamford Bridge next Monday and Malouda is confident the Blues' can end City's unbeaten record.

"December will be a very important month for us. We have massive games and all we need to do is to win and go from game to game," he added.

"We had a bad period recently with bad results but, as you could see against Newcastle, when we have that confidence we can beat any team.

"For us that will be a wonderful opportunity to close the gap and maybe show the other teams there is a way to beat Man City."

Meanwhile, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba moved to distance himself from speculation linking him with a January move away from west London by revealing he is confident Villas-Boas can turn the Blues' troubled season around.

"Everything is coming together for the manager," said the Chelsea forward after Saturday's 3-0 win at Newcastle. "You have to remember it is his first season in the Premier League, it's not easy for him and it isn't easy for the players or the club.

"Yes, we have been in a difficult moment, but you have to stick together and make sure, when we are on the pitch, we are all pulling in the same direction. That's what we are doing right now and it's great to see.

"It was so important to win here and I think that we are getting back to doing the simple things. Maybe we didn't play that well, but the three points was vital for us."