Football
Adriana Garcia 8y

Barca to 'welcome' Bravo, Guardiola back for Champions League matches

Barcelona are ready to launch another title bid in the Champions League and to welcome former manager Pep Guardiola and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo -- both with Manchester City now -- back to the Camp Nou.

Barca were drawn in Group C with Man City, Celtic and Borussia Monchengladbach on Thursday and the clashes with the Premier League club are the ones that everyone will be thinking about and wanting to win for a number of reasons.

City just signed Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo from Barcelona and Guardiola is now the manager at the Etihad after departing from Bayern Munich.

"I'm looking forward to meeting these great clubs," Barcelona's director of professional sport Albert Soler told the club's official website.

"We'll give a warm welcome to Guardiola and Claudio Bravo, who will have the chance to say goodbye to the fans. It'll be nice for them to be able to come back home. We are very grateful to Bravo for what he did for Barca in his two seasons here."

A former Barca player, Guardiola twice steered the Blaugrana to Champions League glory before leaving the Catalan club at the end of the 2011-12 season.

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta and defender Gerard Pique reacted in the social media to the draw that was held in Monaco.

Pique tweeted: "Another day at the office."

Iniesta also went on Twitter and wrote: "These are our rivals. With the enthusiasm of every year to reach our aim."

Five-time European champions Barca won the title two years ago in Luis Enrique's first season in charge, but were eliminated by Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals of the competition in the 2015-16 campaign.

Barca, winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey for the past two seasons, have strengthened their squad with the arrivals of Denis Suarez, Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes, Samuel Umtiti and Jasper Cillessen.

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