Pep Guardiola: 'Machine-like' Barcelona tough to stop

Pep Guardiola has admitted that Manchester City face their toughest test yet when they take on "amazing" Barcelona on Wednesday evening.

The 45-year-old heads back to his former hunting ground with the Citizens, aiming to keep his side's Champions League aspirations on track following a run of three games without a win in all competitions.

Guardiola, who won the European Cup as both a player and a coach at Camp Nou, expects Barcelona to dominate possession against his City side and acknowledges that it will take years to forge a similar style of play in Manchester.

"Barcelona are special in the way they play. They're a machine," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "For the last decade, the last 50 years, Barcelona dominate football matches. I love the way they play.

"They have three amazing players - Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar - up front. They are amazing on the counter-attack. They have a good build-up. They are a good team."

Barcelona top the Group C standings ahead of the third round of fixtures, sitting two points clear of Man City and five ahead of third-placed Celtic.