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Updated September 27th, 2021 at 19:19 IST

How influential has Lionel Messi been against Pep Guardiola's teams in Champions League?

PSG vs Man City: Lionel Messi has played against a Pep Guardiola side on four occasions in the past and has played a crucial role in each match barring one.

Reported by: Vidit Dhawan
Lionel Messi Pep Guardiola
Image: AP | Image:self
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Tuesday night's UEFA Champions League fixture between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Manchester City features a contest everyone is waiting to see: Lionel Messi vs Pep Guardiola's team. The legendary Spanish boss coached the Argentine international for four seasons from 2008 to 2012 at Barcelona.

Since then Pep has gone on to manage Bayern Munich from 2013 to 2016, and Manchester City from 2016 onwards. On the other hand, Messi shockingly left the Nou Camp this past summer as Barcelona could not renew his contract despite the Argentine international agreeing to a 50% wage cut.

The Guardiola-Messi partnership helped the Catalan giants win 14 titles that included three La Ligas and two UEFA Champions League trophies. Considering Pep had an influential role in Messi's early days, it will be interesting to see how an apprentice faces his former boss once again. Ahead of the much-awaited fixture, here is a look at Lionel Messi's record vs Pep Guardiola teams.

PSG vs Man City: Lionel Messi's record vs Pep Guardiola teams

Lionel Messi has played against a Pep Guardiola side on four occasions in the past and has played a crucial role in each match barring one. While playing against the Bundesliga giants in the semi-finals of the 2014/15 Champions League, Messi scored a brace in the home leg to help Barcelona win 3-0. Meanwhile, he could not repeat a similar level of performance in the away leg as his team lost 3-2.

However, Messi's performance was even better against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side in the 2016-17 season of the UEFA Champions League group stage. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner scored a hattrick at Nou Camp to help Barca beat City 4-0. He then also went to the Etihad Stadium and scored a goal, albeit in a losing cause. With six goals in four games against a Pep side, Messi will undoubtedly be the man to watch when the two sides face each other on Tuesday night.

PSG vs Man City kick-off time

Location: Parc des Princes

Date and time: September 29 at 12:30 AM IST

PSG vs Man City team news

PSG predicted starting line-up: Keylor Navas; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes; Idrissa Gueye, Leandro Paredes, Ander Herrera; Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe

Man City predicted starting line-up: Ederson, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne; Jack Grealish, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling

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Published September 27th, 2021 at 19:19 IST

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