After years of hoping he would rip opposition defences to shreds , Pep Guardiola has admitted he has to start trying to work out a way to stop Lionel Messi . On the prospect of facing the greatest player in Barcelona 's history , Guardiola – the greatest coach the club has had – said : 'We will have to see what we can do in each of the two games and we will try to create the best defensive system possible to stop Messi . 'They are a wonderful team but so are we , ' said the Bayern Munich boss . Pep Guardiola will be reintroduced to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals . The Bayern Munich coach must think of a way to stop the superb Lionel Messi next month . Guardiola goes back to Barcelona with the team now coached by Luis Enrique playing their best football since he left the club in 2012 . 'It will be a very special game for me , ' he said after the teams were drawn to face each other . 'It will also be special for Thiago [ Alcantara ] and for the rest of the coaching staff . I lived my whole life in Barcelona , it ' s my home . ' Guardiola nurtured Messi into the best player in the world while manager at the Nou Camp . Guardiola showed how much the club still means to him when alongside his father he watched them beat Manchester City in the last 16 , cheering them on from the stands of the Nou Camp . He did little to hide his appreciation for Messi that night and admitted that the four-times Ballon d'Or winner could punish Bayern if they are as sloppy as they were in the first leg against Porto in the quarter-finals . They went down 3-1 before hammering the Portuguese outfit 6-1 in Bavaria . He said : 'If we make the same mistakes then the tie will be all over in Barcelona . '
Bayern Munich face Messi in the Champions League semis . It means Pep Guardiola will travel back to the Nou Camp . Bayern boss Guardiola wants to find a way of stopping Lionel Messi . CLICK HERE for the UEFA Champions League draw .