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

Pep Guardiola has revealed the one team he wants Manchester City to avoid in the Champions League this season when the competition splits.

City crashed out of the competition at the hands of Real Madrid in the quarter-finals last season but have made a decent start to this season’s revamped competition, drawing against Inter Milan before thrashing Slovan Bratislava last time out.

The 2023 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.

Assuming, as expected, City get through that first phase, Guardiola has revealed that he is keen to keep out of former club Barcelona’s way.

The Catalan giants were surprisingly beaten by Monaco in their Champions League opener last month but followed that up with a 5-0 home thumping of Swiss outfit Young Boys.

And, speaking 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.”

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Pep gives verdict on new CL format and muses over Messi 

Guardiola, who is being heavily linked with the vacant England job, was also asked how he felt about the new Champions League format, responding: “I don’t understand, I just coach.

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

The City boss, meanwhile, was also asked what his secret was to getting the best out of Lionel Messi during their time together at the Camp Nou.

He added: “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.”

Latest Man City transfer news: Pep wants Palmer back / Wirtz boost

A stunning report has claimed Pep Guardiola has instructed Manchester City chiefs to re-sign Cole Palmer, and multiple sources have hinted at what Chelsea’s response will be.

Spanish outlet Fichajes claims that Guardiola is ready to admit selling the playmaker was an error by breaking records to bring him back.

The report claims Guardiola has asked Man City chiefs to re-sign Palmer and a mammoth £125m (€150m / $163m) offer is cited as being required to seal a deal.

Meanwhile, Manchester City have a good chance of signing Germany star Florian Wirtz even though he is also being chased by Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, a report has claimed.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Man City are firmly in the mix to sign Wirtz at the end of the season, when his camp are expected to push for a huge transfer away from Bayer Leverkusen.

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