MOSCOW - Playing in an empty stadium because of a UEFA ban will have an effect on not only hosts CSKA Moscow but also Manchester City, said the English champions manager Manuel Pellegrini on Monday.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini (L) and defender Pablo Zabaleta give a press conference on October 20, 2014, in Moscow on the eve of a football match between CSKA Moscow and Manchester City
CSKA -- who played their last Champions League home game against 2013 chammpions Bayern Munich behind closed doors because of a previous punishment -- will host City on Tuesday in a game both sides need to win if they are to threaten to make the top two in the group.
CSKA, who have had the present three-game ban at their Khimki Stadium imposed for their fans behaviour in a match against another group rival Roma, have yet to register a point after two games, while City have a point.
Bayern Munich top it with six points while Roma, who they face in a doubler header over the next fortnight, are two points adrift of the Germans.
Pellegrini, though, thought it was a shame for both the fans and the match as a spectacle that they would be absent.
"I think it's a pity. Really bad that we cannot play tomorrow with fans there," said the 61-year-old Chilean.
"Because this show is for fans. It will probably be a strange game as a result.
"But we don't have any other option, we must play it that way.
"Some people think that the home side will suffer more damage because of that, but I think that an empty stadium will make both clubs suffer."
City's outstanding Argentinian defender Pablo Zabaleta agreed that playing in front of empty stands would be weird.
However, he was more focused on keeping CSKA's attack at bay and returning home with three crucial points, setting them up nicely for the home encounter with the same opposition in a fortnight's time.
"We have to be very compact in defence," Zabaleta said.
"CSKA are a strong and skillful team. They're really dangerous and we have a lot of respect for them."
Zabaleta added that despite the fact that his team had only one point from two matches so far, he and his team-mates were determined to do their best to make their mark in Europe's most prestigious tournament.
"In the Champions League we're playing against Europe's best teams," said Zabaleta.
"We're a good team and we're proving it year by year, but to win such a competition is a difficult task. And we all have to work really hard to do it.
"But we'll do our best to do that this season," added the 29-year-old.