Man City boss Guardiola names team he wants to avoid in the Champions League: ‘They destroy me’

Man City boss Pep Guardiola has explained why he wants to avoid former club Barcelona in the Champions League this season.

The Catalan spent the majority of his playing career at Barcelona with Guardiola rising through the La Masia youth ranks to play for the first team.

Current Man City boss Guardiola, who made 382 appearances for Barca, won six La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, four Spanish Super Cups, a European Cup, a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and a European Super Cup as a player at the Camp Nou.

His managerial career also started at the Camp Nou with Barcelona B, before impressing enough to succeed Frank Rijkaard at the end of the 2007/08 season.

Guardiola achieved immediate success with three La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and two Champions Leagues in his three full seasons before taking a sabbatical.

Man City have four points from their opening two Champions League group matches against Inter Milan and Slovan Bratislava and when asked who he wants to avoid as they progress in the competition, Guardiola replied on Italian chat show Che Tempo Che Fa : “Good question. Barcelona maybe.

“The affection I have for them destroys me. I was born in a small town nearby, it’s never easy to play against them.”

When asked for his thoughts on the new Champions League format, Guardiola added: “I don’t understand, I just coach.

“I think we’ll be able to answer this question only at the end of the season.”

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Lionel Messi was outstanding for Guardiola during his three years coaching at Barcelona with the Argentina international scoring 672 goals in 778 matches during his entire time at the Catalan giants.

When speaking about his time with Messi, Man City boss Guardiola has compared the World Cup winner to other sporting legends Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan.

On Messi, Guardiola continued: “You have to know him.

“For me it’s easy to say that he is the best player of all time, but the stars came together at that moment.

“Maybe it’s a lack of respect for Pele and Maradona, but for me he is [the best of all time]. I’ve never seen someone like him in training, you couldn’t imagine that he could maintain this continuity for 15-20 years.

“When you see him up close, you think of Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan – we were lucky to be contemporaries of these characters. I think of Sorrentino’s ‘The Great Beauty’… it’s a great title for that team.”