Pep Guardiola’s former team meets his current employers in Wednesday’s friendly when European champions Bayern Munich host Spanish giants Barcelona, who are on the hunt for a new manager.
Barcelona arrived in Munich without a head coach after Tito Vilanova resigned on Friday, as he battles against cancer, but the Spanish giants are expected to announce his successor soon.
Vilanova’s assistant Jordi Roura will be in charge at Munich’s Allianz Arena and the 45-year-old took charge of Barcelona from December to April when Vilanova was receiving treatment.
After Guardiola won 14 titles between 2008 and last year at Barcelona, the pre-season run out has added spice, especially 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.