Gundogan says Guardiola's knowledge of Barcelona will help Manchester City

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan believes Pep Guardiola will help his team prepare better thanks to his knowledge of the Barcelona side he helped create.

City visit Barça on Wednesday in a massive Champions League game, and Gundogan thinks his team is boosted by how much Pep knows about the Catalan giants having coached them for four years.

Gundogan also says Barça will be the toughest test of the season for the Citizens, but the team is not afraid of playing at the Camp Nou.

“It’s a big plus for us because he knows them. He knows the team, the club, the stadium and he knows Messi. He also knows the Barcelona way, the Catalan way so he knows everything and he will give us some information that other managers can’t give.

"This is important, definitely. He knows how they play, and how they will want to play. At the end, though, it’s down to our players to do that on the field and carry out what he wants us to do.

“I think this will be the biggest challenge. They will definitely be the best team we will have faced so far. I haven’t played against them before, but we all know that they have world-class players and maybe the world’s best player in Lionel Messi. Away, it will be especially tough, a challenge, but I can say we are definitely not scared. We are curious and want to have this experience and want to play in this stadium against this team. It will not be a test, but exciting for us.

“It’s about taking your chances, definitely, in the Champions League. The evening games, especially when you play away, you need to have this confidence, this flow and have the courage to play your own game. You can’t afford to make mistakes either because teams like this will punish you. But it’s an experience for us all.

“I think we played a good game against Everton. It’s just the score, the draw that was not good for us.”

Source: M.E.N.