CSKA Moscow manager Leonid Slutsky has declared that Manchester City are favourites to win the Champions League.
Manuel Pellegrini's City face CSKA in Russia on Tuesday in a meeting of the two winless teams in Group E.
Slutsky believes Premier League champions City should not only be qualifying from their group but also going on to win the competition for the first time.
"Manchester City were, and currently are, clear favourites not only of our group but the Champions League in general," he said at a news conference.
"The fact that they haven't won any group matches so far means nothing, as in the English Premier League they perform really well."
City beat CSKA at home and away last season as they went on to reach the round of 16 -- their best performance to date in the Champions League -- but have lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich and drawn 1-1 with Roma this season. Slutsky's side have been beaten by both the German and Italian teams.
CSKA will host City behind closed doors after they were punished by UEFA for racist behaviour by fans for the third time in a year and, while Pellegrini thinks fans ought to be admitted, Slutsky believes the visitors will benefit from the lack of a crowd at the Khimki Stadium.
"Of course it's for City's good," he added. "Just imagine [if] we would play at an empty Etihad Stadium. Who will get the advantage of that?"
City will be without Frank Lampard, who was stretchered off in Saturday's 4-1 win over Tottenham, but Slutsky, who named Yaya Toure and Fernandinho as their key midfielders, insisted: "He hasn't become as important a figure for City as he was for Chelsea."