Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes has tipped Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG as Champions League favourites.
The German giants take on Besiktas in the first leg of their round of 16 tie on Tuesday evening, with the veteran boss hoping to push Bayern to another Champions League crown.
He famously led Bayern to the trophy in a treble winning season in 2013.
But while he believes the five Premier League teams will be contenders and hopes Bayern can compete, he has suggested Real — who have won the competition twice in a row — and Barca, along with PSG, will be the main threats.
Heynckes said: 'Predicting things in advance is very difficult, there are many big clubs in the competition with a long tradition.
'There are five teams in England that are very strong, some invested enormously in the summer and also in the winter.
'Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are the favourites and, of course, we want to continue our tradition.
'Bayern have always been quite successful in European competition, but the competition is not a wish concert, you always have to be fit. Any opponent can be a stumbling block.'
Heynckes was also full of praise for Besiktas — who surprisingly won their group — and their manager Senol Gunes.
'After the draw the sense in the media was that was a good draw,' he said. 'I have studied Besiktas in detail and not only do they have many players who previously played in the Spanish league at Madrid, Barca or Valencia, but they also have two Dutch national team players.
'This is a team peppered with international experience. The secret of their success lies in their coach. He's not quite my age, but he's already 65.
'He's a very experienced man, an absolutely top coach who knows how to put the team together.'