Carlo Ancelotti Trumps Pep Guardiola Again as Bayern Munich Down Manchester City

Pep Guardiola rarely lost a game at home during his three-year stint at Bayern Munich; the trainer’s record in all competitions was nearly flawless. But one glaring mark on his resume came in the spring of 2014, toward the end of his first season at the helm with the German giants.

On April 29, 2014, Guardiola’s Bayern met Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, down a goal on aggregate. The Spanish side would come out on top, delivering a humiliating 4-0 defeat.

Ancelotti and Guardiola faced off again at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, with the Italian in charge of the Bavarian giants and the Spaniard representing Manchester City. Yet, although their teams were different, the result was the same. Now the record at Bayern’s stadium stands at Carlo 2-0 Pep.

The narrative of Guardiola returning to Munich just three weeks after officially leaving his post with Die Roten was an exciting one, especially given that it coincided with meeting Ancelotti just two years after what the former Barcelona coach described in Marti Perarnau’s Pep Confidential (h/t the Independent) as “the biggest f–k-up of [his] life as a coach.”

Straight forward 4-3-3 for Bayern under Ancelotti. Alonso flanked by Alaba and Lahm in the middle of the park. #FCBMCFC

— Ross Dunbar (@rossdunbar93) July 20, 2016

Yet for all the pomp and circumstance, the football on show on Wednesday was nothing more than could be expected from a pre-season friendly. The big names—Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne—were missing for the most part.

A man named Gotze played, but it was Mario’s younger brother, Felix. The solitary goal that separated the teams at full-time, was befitting of the action: An effort from the edge of the box that took a …

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