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 as Gerardo Martino will join them later. 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 2012 at Barcelona, the pre-season run out has added spice, especially given recent events which have strained relations between the two European powerhouses. Guardiola has already poached Spain Under-21 captain Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona to bolster his star-studded midfield.
Both Barcelona’s new Brazil star Neymar and Spain’s Carles Puyol, who is working his way back to fitness after knee surgery in March, are expected to sit it out. Senior stars Javier Mascherano, Adriano Correia, Alex Song and Alexis Sanchez are likely to feature among a host of reserves, while Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi is set to play some part.