BAD NEWS SHEIKH

Man City boss Pep Guardiola admits Barcelona are still the best team in the world ahead of Champions League meeting

Catalan boss is a legend at the Nou Camp but has to face his former side in the upcoming group stages of the tournament

PEP GUARDIOLA has conceded that Barcelona are still the best side in the world – ahead of his own Manchester City side.

The 45-year-old Etihad boss will face his former side – and their lethal MSN frontline of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar – in the Champions League group stage just weeks into his new career in England.

Reuters
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez strike fear into Pep Guardiola

Reuters
Pep Guardiola does not sound too pleased about playing his old side so soon

And he admits that his new-look side – even with Claudio Bravo, Nolito, Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane – is still flagging behind the Catalan kings of La Liga.

Speaking on Spanish radio about the upcoming meeting, he said: “Is it sooner than I expected? It’s whatever comes your way.

“We always have to play the best, and there is no one better than them.

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“The three up front can make you so unbalanced but there is also so much work behind the scenes.

“How Barcelona play, you note that there is so much work that has gone into it from Luis Enrique, and they will keep doing it in the coming years.

“They are the best and it is a great test for us. We’ve been given this challenge and we have to see what level we bring.

“But Borussia Monchengladbach also worries me. Today the Champions League starts in the first stage, not the quarter-finals. You can’t make any errors.”

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