Nadal was far from his best when he beat Simone Bolelli in the first round but the Spaniard still managed to progress with a straight-sets win.
The world No 1 will be hoping to up his performance when he takes on Pella this afternoon.
Surprisingly, Nadal is not on the main court, Philippe-Chatrier, as he is third on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Nadal and Pella have only met once before at Indian Wells last year, which Nadal won comfortably in straight sets.
However, the 31-year-old says he is expecting a “difficult” clash this time around.
“It's going to be a difficult match,” Nadal said.
“I have to be prepared to play very strongly, very aggressively, and I hope that I will be able to move on the next day knowing that it's going to be a tough match.
“But I will try to be aggressive and performing as I was with the important shots as today.
“Well, he's left-handed. He won against Sousa.”