Pep Guardiola has insisted Real Madrid matches are “nothing special” to him ahead of Bayern Munich's Audi Cup final on Wednesday.
The coach came through Barcelona's youth system, spent over a decade playing for their first team and subsequently coached the Catalans through the most decorated period in their history.
However, following Bayern's 3-0 defeat of AC Milan on Tuesday to set up the high-profile clash, Guardiola claimed facing Barca's arch-rivals Madrid does not ramp up the anticipation for him.
"Playing Madrid is nothing special to me," the Spaniard told reporters. "I'm very happy with the result against Milan.
"On Saturday we played a final [the DFL-Supercup against Wolfsburg, which they lost on penalties] and on Wednesday we have another game. I have two defences, we'll see who plays in the game against Madrid."
Guardiola has endured a turbulent few days in the aftermath of weekend reports claiming he would be joining Manchester City next year – when his deal at the Allianz Arena expires – on a huge salary.
Germany legend Lothar Matthaus claimed Chelsea's Jose Mourinho is the better coach, while Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke suggested Jurgen Klopp would be Guardiola's perfect replacement.
Guardiola's frustrations became visible to the world at half-time against Milan when he ranted at Nigel de Jong for a first-half tackle on Joshua Kimmich, then after the match Mario Gotze insinuated his coach doesn't talk to him much.
