Pablo Zabaleta has declared that the time has come for Manchester City to prove that they belong at European football's top table, with victory in tonight's Champions League showdown with CSKA Moscow.

City currently sit second in Group D, three points ahead of closest rivals CSKA as both sides fight to qualify for the last 16 behind Bayern Munich.

Zabaleta believes that Manuel Pellegrini's side are ready to take the next step and earn a place in the knockout stages for the first time in their history, insisting that they are confident of beating CSKA at the Etihad this evening.

He told The Sun: "We have a great chance to go through if we can win. We don't expect an easy game, as they have some good players. It is time for us to win.

"The last two seasons have been really poor in the Champions League and we're all focused on improving. We want to take this step forward and qualify for the next round.

"You play against the best teams and it has not been easy. But now we are very confident and it is time for us to take a step forward. We are still improving as a team and hopefully in the next few years, we can be one of the best in Europe."

Pellegrini's side go into their latest continental clash on the back of their biggest win of the season, a 7-0 rout over Norwich City in the Premier League last weekend.