Pep Guardiola will return to former club Barcelona for the first time with Bayern Munich after the two clubs were drawn against each other in the Champions League semifinal.
Guardiola spent a highly-successful four years in charge of Barca between 2008 and 2012, leading the club to three Spanish La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns.
After taking a year out, the Spaniard returned to management with Bayern and guided the club to the German league and cup double last season, but will be hoping to follow that up this year with success in Europe’s elite club competition after his side were eliminated by Real Madrid at the semifinal stage in 2014.
One of Guardiola’s main tasks will be attempting to stop his former player Lionel Messi, who has struck 46 goals in all competitions this term and helped fire Barca to the top of the Spanish La Liga table.
Bayern, who won the Champions League in 2013, thumped Porto 6-1 on Tuesday to reach the semifinals with a 7-4 aggregate win, while Barca progressed past Paris Saint-Germain 5-1 on aggregate.
Elsewhere, Juventus and Real Madrid will meet in the other last-four tie, with the Spanish side aiming to become the first team to successfully defend the title in the competition’s current format.
Real beat Atletico Madrid in last season’s final and advanced past its local rivals this week to reach the semifinal after winning 1-0 in the second leg — a first win for Real over Atletico after eight attempts this term.
Juventus is in the last four for the first time since 2003 and has not emerged victorious in the competition since 1996.
The semifinal first legs will take place on May 5 and 6, with the second legs on May 12 and 13. The final will be staged in Berlin on June 6.
Europa League
Meanwhile, Europa League holders Sevilla will continue its defense of the trophy with a semifinal tie against Fiorentina.
Sevilla, who beat Benfica on penalties in last season’s final, is looking to win Europe’s second-tier competition for the fourth time in nine years.
The other semifinal sees Napoli take on Dnipro, with the Italian Serie A side’s coach Rafael Benitez aiming to land the trophy for the third time in his career.
Benitez guided both Valencia and Chelsea to glory in 2004 and 2013 respectively.
The semifinal first legs will take place on May 7 and the second legs on May 14, while the final will be played in Warsaw on May 27.