Barcelona: Pep Guardiola’s formidable managerial skills will be put to the test again when his stuttering Manchester City side visit his former club Barcelona in a top-of-the-bill Champions League (CL) clash here Wednesday.
Former Barca captain Guardiola, the Catalan club’s most decorated coach with 14 trophies in a scintillating four-year spell, is set for his latest emotional return to the Nou Camp.
The Premier League leaders trail Group C pacesetters Barca by two points following a thrilling 3-3 draw at Celtic in their last Champions League outing but Guardiola on arrival here said that he would not settle for another draw against his former club.
“We have four games left in the group and we need to win two of them, make six points, to be in the next round. And we are going to try to win the first points in our next game for sure,” Guardiola said.
The Catalans are unbeaten at the Nou Camp in the Champions League since 2013 but Guardiola said his team would not stray from their usual attacking style of play.
“We are going to play like we are. I know the way we want to play but, of course, we have to know exactly against which team we’re going to play. Not too many teams win there (Camp Nou) in recent years,” he added.
Meanwhile City striker Sergio Aguero stated that he is just hoping for the talismanic Lionel Messi to have an off day. “He will be difficult to stop, I know that from experience. All we can hope is that he has a bad day and our defence plays the game of its life,” said Messi’s Argentine strike partner.
Barca coach Luis Enrique has also been boosted by the return of full-backs Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba to training, while Guardiola’s only major absence is Bacary Sagna.
Reuters
