Pep Guardiola's formidable managerial skills will be put to the test again when his stuttering Manchester City side visits his former club Barcelona in a top-of-the-bill Champions League clash Wednesday. Former Barca captain Guardiola, the Catalan club's most decorated coach with 14 trophies in a scintillating four-year spell, is set for his latest emotional return to the Nou Camp. He has been there as a visiting coach before when his Bayern Munich side lost 3-0 in a Champions League semifinal last year and now he faces an equally daunting task with City. Guardiola's brilliant start in England which saw him oversee 10 consecutive wins in all competitions has given way to a run of three games without victory. The Premier League leader trails Group C pacesetter Barca by two points following a thrilling 3-3 draw at Celtic in their last Champions League outing but Guardiola said he would not settle for another draw against his former club. The Catalans are unbeaten at the Nou Camp in the Champions League since 2013 but attacking ideologue Guardiola said his team would not stray from its usual style of play. Barca coach Luis Enrique has also been boosted by the return of fullbacks Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba to training, while Guardiola's only major absence is Bacary Sagna. Celtic plays Borussia Moenchengladbach in the group's other match at Glasgow. In Group A, Paris Saint Germain faces Basel in Paris, while Arsenal plays Ludogorets Razgrad in London. In Group B, Napoli is up against Besiktas in Naples. Napoli will become the first team to qualify for the last 16 if it notches up its third straight win and Dynamo Kiev draws with Benfica in the group's other tie in Kiev. In Group D, Rostov faces Atletico Madrid at Rostov-on-Don, Russia, while Bayern Munich hosts PSV with Carlo Ancelotti slamming its "bad attitude" in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt and club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge describing the performance as "unacceptable". It needs a win to steady the ship after a last time out loss to Atletico Madrid left it in second, three points off the Spanish pacesetters. — Agencies
