Why Guardiola Is Best Placed to Handle Messi, Barcelona in Champions League

Bayern Munich will be in a quietly confident mood Friday, following the news that their next opponents in the Champions League semi-finals will be none other than Barcelona. 

Not only are the Spanish giants the very club that current manager Pep Guardiola raised to the top of European football, but they're also the very side that Jupp Heynckes' side dominated on the way to lifting the European Cup in 2013. 

Of course, much has changed since then. Guardiola has swapped sides and now leads the Bavarian giants toward European glory and the Catalans themselves have made a few alterations to their star-studded line up. 

However, despite all the numerous factors that will come into play there's no doubt that Guardiola and Bayern will fancy their chances against Lionel Messi & Co. 

Heynckes' side were able to completely dismantle Barcelona over the course of the two games by seven goals to nil by doing two things perfectly; playing direct, attacking football and making sure Barca's attack never got a moment to collect its thoughts. 

The first of these two concepts will, of course, be very easy to emulate for Guardiola, whose own side are perhaps even more attack-minded than his predecessor's. 

Where Heynckes' team chose to play bullish counter-attacking football, this current team will look to park themselves in the Barcelona half and create a pressure pot which Luis Enrique's side have simply never had to handle before. 

In essence we should look to see Guardiola out-Barca Barca with the style of football that he developed at the club and made so successful before moving on to Bayern. 

The key to such a style of play will of course come down to the individuals on show in the Bavarian red on the night.

Perhaps most importantly Guardiola will need the determination and tireless efforts of Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben in attack to preoccupy a Barca back line that is more used to picking passes than having to chase down attacking threats. 

Muller and Robben have both shown what they're capable of against the Spanish side with standout performances in the past and have looked at their very best throughout this current campaign. If there are two attacking players who Guardiola can rely on to pester this Barca back line then it'll be these two. 

Although the uber-pressing style of play is in essence a ploy to get the ball back as quickly as possible and to then once again attack the opponent's goal, Bayern's style will also do well to cut off the supply to Barca's front three—undoubtedly the greatest assets of Enrique's side. 

The Catalan club have spent fortunes bringing Luis Suarez and Neymar to the club, but the back line and central midfield isn't too dissimilar to the one Bayern's were able to contain two years ago. 

It will be in the centre of the park, where Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm will prowl for scraps and loose balls that this tie may ultimately be won or lost.

Forget Messi and Robben, if this German duo can intimidate Sergio Busquets and Xavi enough then the Bayern back line will have very little to deal with on the night. 

Another important aspect of Bayern's team that Barca will have to overcome is the simple fact that Javi Martinez may be fit and able to play. Which, to any Barcelona fan willing to think back, could play out as a huge advantage to the German champions. 

The Spanish defensive midfielder undoubtedly had the best two games of his Bayern career over the course of the two legs against Barcelona when Heynckes tasked him with a very simple plan: keep Andres Iniesta out of the game. 

What followed was a perfect lesson in closing down, bullying in the air and all-round defensive work that completely nullified the Barcelona playmaker on the day. 

If Martinez is back—and it looks like he will be according to most reports—then Guardiola will undoubtedly look to play him in a similar position once again. 

Add this all together and you have a team perfectly capable of breaking down a side full of individuals. Barcelona are a formidable foe and strong favourites for the competition but within Guardiola's grasp lie the tools to overcome the team he helped build. 

Should the most sought-after coach in the world put them all together in the right order then we may well see another famous win for the German side. 

@Sbienkowski