*The former Barcelona legend may line up against City tonight
Pep Guardiola admits it is unusual to see Lionel Messi playing for Paris Saint-Germain.
The Manchester City boss Guardiola famously led Barcelona to two Champions League triumphs with Messi at the heart of his side.
Guardiola could face his former player tonight when Manchester City face PSG in a repeat of last season’s Champions League semi-final.
“It was a surprise for everyone (that Messi left Barcelona) but that’s what happened,” said Guardiola. “Everyone now accepts it.
“A long time ago you couldn’t imagine it but it happened. In life itself you never know what happens. I’m pretty sure he’ll be happy in Paris.
“His career is exceptional. Hopefully Tuesday he can play for the benefit of the game,” Guardiola.
Messi has missed PSG’s last two games with a knock but trained ahead of City’s visit to the Parc des Princes.
Guardiola is expecting a difficult night.
He said: “With this amount of quality I don’t know how to stop them, they’re so good. This amount of talent makes it so difficult.
“They were a fantastic team last season. It was a tight game. And now they have Messi.”
Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi won 14 trophies together at Barcelona during a four-year period and the pair have been dominant forces in European football for more than a decade.
Since parting ways when Guardiola left the Catalan club in 2012, no player has scored more goals against his teams in the Champions League than Messi.
Their longstanding relationship and Messi’s enduring brilliance helps explain why Guardiola tried to sign Messi in the summer.
The Argentine instead ended up at Paris St-Germain and will face his former manager in the Champions League tonight.
Messi won the last of his four Champions League titles in 2015 when they defeated Bayern Munich managed by Guardiola. The Catalan Coach has never won the competition without Messi, coming close last season when his City side were beaten in the final by Chelsea.
They last faced each other in the 2016 group stages when Messi ruthlessly despatched a hat-trick in a 4-0 thrashing at the Nou Camp and scored in a 3-1 loss at the Etihad.
Man City on the other hand under Guardiola produced a memorable performance over two legs to beat PSG in last year’s semi-finals.
Since then the French club have bolstered their already star-studded ranks with the additions of six-time world player of the year Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi.
Speaking about tonight’s clash in Paris, City midfielder, Riyad Mahrez, said: “PSG have a very good team, more or less the same as last season, adding Messi and (Georginio) Wijnaldum and a few others.
“They are stronger this season, they have a bigger squad. It’s going to be more or less the same game as last season, very tight.”
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