Pep Guardiola names the team he wants to avoid in the Champions League

Pep Guardiola admits he’s keen for Manchester City to avoid Barcelona in the Champions League this season.

City, who were dumped out by Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter final last season, have made a solid start to their new campaign in Europe with a draw against Inter and a 4-0 demolition of Slovan Bratislava earlier this month.

The Premier League champions are due to play Sparta Prague, Sporting CP, Feyenoord, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Club Bruges in their remaining European fixtures before the competition splits.

Barcelona, meanwhile, were beaten by Monaco in their Champions League opener last month but followed that up with a 5-0 win at home to Young Boys.

And Guardiola says he is keen to keep away from his former club this season for sentimental reasons.

During his appearance on Italian chat show Che Tempo Che Fa on Sunday evening, Guardiola was asked to name the team he wanted to avoid in this seasons Champions League.

‘Good question. Barcelona maybe,’ Guardiola replied.

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

Asked how he felt about the new Champions League format, Guardiola said: ‘I don’t understand, I just coach.

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

Guardiola also paid tribute to Lionel Messi when asked how he got the best out of the Argentine during their time together at Barcelona.

‘You have to know him,’ Guardiola said.

‘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.’

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