FCBARCELONA.CAT

20.01.2009 18:58

Guardiola and Pochettino, familiar rivals

Jesús Carrillo

Tonight, Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino cross paths at the Olympic Stadium as the respective managers of Barça and Espanyol. But it won’t be the first time they have met.

In fact, they have faced each other ten times before, and every time wearing the shirts of Barça and Espanyol, in three different grounds - the Camp Nou, Montjuïc and the old Sarrià stadium.

Seven Barça wins

Of the ten games that have involved Guardiola and Pochettino, seven have seen the Catalan celebrating, while the Argentinian has only been able to enjoy one victory.

The two men now in charge of the clubs playing in tonight’s crunch quarter final met in eight league games, and also in the quarter finals of the 1996 cup. Barça, managed at the time by Johan Cruyff, knocked out Camacho’s Espanyol, with Guardiola and Pochettino playing all 180 minutes of the home and away legs. The only time the current Espanyol manager was able to enjoy a win was in the 96/97 season, the very last derby at Sarrià, which Espanyol won at the expense of Robson’s Barça, 2-0.

Shared farewell

Coincidentally, both Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino both departed the Spanish league in 2000/01. The Barça midfielder joined Brescia in Italy, and the Espanyol striker moved to Paris Saint Germain. But Pochettino did return to Espanyol later in his career, when he played the 2004/05 season on loan from Girondins Bordeaux.