Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has revealed it will be "special" for him to return to Camp Nou with new club Manchester City in the coming weeks after the two sides were drawn together in the Champions League group stages,according toESPN.
City and Barcelona will be expected to qualify from a group that also includes Borussia Monchengladbach and Celtic, but Guardiola believes his new side will be given a massive test early in his tenure in Manchester following the draw. Guardiola won countlesstrophies with the Catalan giants both as a player and as a manager, before cutting ties with the club in 2012.
He said on Friday while looking forward to the games:"I cannot deny that it is something special for me.I grew up in Catalonia, at 13 years old I went there to play in the academy and I was promoted to a professional player, the trainer, so I spent most of my life there.
"I know the people there, I know the club, the media, some of the players, most of the players are still there, so the emotion is there.
"It happened last season with Bayern Munich, it happened this year, and if I continue coaching at the high level, at the big clubs, and we are lucky to arrive in the Champions League, that is going to happen more times.
Pep Guardiola chief among "best of enemies" Man City and Barcelona. @sidlowe: https://t.co/6FFCiTye6x #UCL pic.twitter.com/8ntzMDfj7w
"The first time is, 'Wow, it's the first time,' the second time is the second time. In the future it will be maybe normal.Barcelona is always there and trying to achieve, and Manchester City will always be there, that is our target.
"They will check our level - our current level.There isn't a better team to check our current level as a team. But of course it's just the beginning we still need some time.But we have to put up with that because it's the draw and we will have to face it."
Barcelona play Athletic Bilbao this weekend, while Manchester City play West Ham in the Premier League.
Barcelona & Man City draw same group, as do Real Madrid & Dortmund, PSG & Arsenal.
Full Champions League draw 👇. pic.twitter.com/YgTIc9ke8r
Join the conversation and follow @_scottsaunders on Twitter!