BACK TO BARCA FOR PEP

Nou Camp showdown for City’s supercoach

PEP Guardiola faces a reunion with Barcelona in his first Champions league campaign as Manchester City boss.

Guardiola, who won Europe’s elite competition three times with the Catalan giants as player and manager, will return to the Nou Camp with City on october 19.

it will be Guardiola’s second trip to the stadium since leaving Barcelona in 2012, suffering a 3-0 defeat with Bayern Munich in the 2015 Champions league semi-finals.

City have also been handed a Battle of Britain with Celtic and will play German side Borussia Monchengladbach. City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain, who held the same role at Barcelona between 2003 and 2010, admitted his former club will be heavily backed to top Group C.

‘ Barcelona will start as favourites but that is nothing new — they are a fantastic side,’ said Begiristain.

‘ Both games against Monchengladbach were tough last year, even though we won them both. They are a very strong side and it is going to be hard again.’

Premier league champions