Ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, coach Pep Guardiola insisted that the tie is a bigger deal for his side than for the visitors.
Lionel Messi’s hat-trick inspired the Catalans to stunning 4-0 victory at the Camp Nou two weeks ago but the Argentine’s former boss insists his side will be coming into the match with confidence after winning 4-0 at West Brom on Saturday.
“Winning the last match has certainly helped,” Guardiola said.
“Our confidence is much higher, but the Champions League is a different competition, it’s much shorter and we need to do it against the best sides.”
The manner of the scoreline in the first leg left the City coach to concede that some of his players may have been overawed.
“We lost 4-0 so there is still a lot for us to learn,” he continued.
“For some of our players, it was their first time at the Camp Nou, but they competed well.”
The former Bayern Munich boss has seen four of his players sent off in five matches against Barcelona, and losing a man makes a victory an almost impossible task.
“It is always difficult to beat them with 11 – but even harder with ten,” he added.
“Willy [Caballero, who will replace suspended Claudio Bravo] has helped me a lot and he was very important at the beginning for me.
“I hold him in high regard as a person.
“He has always played well for me and I have a lot confidence in him.”
Sergio Aguero was surprisingly dropped for the first game, and Guardiola’s aim is to make him a better player.
“I want to help Aguero improve his level,” he said.”I could never ask him to do what Luis Suarez does, for example, that would be unfair, but I want to help my players progress.”
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