BERLIN: Pep Guardiola’s former team meets his current employers in a friendly today, as European champions Bayern Munich host Barcelona with relations strained between the Spaniard and his ex-club.
Yesterday, Barcelona named former Paraguay manager and Argentina midfielder Gerardo Martino as head coach to replace Tito Vilanova, who resigned Friday as he battles against cancer.
After Guardiola won 14 titles between 2008 and 2012 at Barcelona, the pre-season run-out has added spice given recent events which have strained relations between the two European powerhouses.
Guardiola took charge of Bayern last month amid great fanfare, after the Bavarians lured the 42-year-old to Munich following his year’s sabbatical in New York.
Guardiola has already poached Spain Under-21 captain Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona to bolster his star-studded midfield which includes Holland’s Arjen Robben and France winger Franck Ribery.
But Guardiola stirred up bad blood with his former bosses earlier this month when he accused the Barcelona board of trying to “damage” him.
Guardiola lashed out in a press conference, making allegations against the board, which were later refuted, that he had snubbed Vilanova while he was being treated for cancer in New York.
“I will never forget that they used Tito’s illness to cause me damage, because it’s a lie that I never saw him in New York,” the Spanish manager said.
With relations strained off the field, there is plenty of spice on it, although both teams are likely to name weakened teams. AFP
