Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola will face his former side Barcelona in the semi-final of the Champions League next month, and it is imperative that he improves his record away from home in the knockout stages.
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The first leg will take place at Guardiola’s old stomping ground at the Camp Nou and he will manage against his old club in a competitive fixture for the very first time in his career.
His record in Champions League knockout ties away from home doesn’t make for great viewing as it currently stands at P:17 W:4 D:8 L:5 and some of those failures in the away leg have eventually cost him and his sides dearly in the past.
In the 2009-10 season his all conquering Barcelona team were well on course to retain the trophy until they ran into an Inter Milan side coached by Jose Mourinho. The first leg at the San Siro ended 3-1 to the Italians and Guardiola couldn’t inspire his side to overturn the deficit against 10-men and they crashed out at the semi-final stage.
Last season against Real Madrid his Bayern side lost the semi-final first leg 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu before being humiliated in the return leg to eventually lose the tie 5-0 on aggregate, further highlighting that he can’t always rely on the home tie to bail his teams out of jail.
Bayern have required emphatic victories in the second legs of both their knockout games already this season against Shakthar Donetsk and Porto, but they simply can’t afford have a repeat of the game in Portugal against the Catalans, as another 3-1 defeat will almost certainly leave them with too much do against a strike force of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.