Luis Enrique has hailed Pep Guardiola as the "best current coach" in world football ahead of Barcelona's Champions League clash with Manchester City.

The current Barcelona boss”‹ told the ”‹assembled press at his pre-match press conference that there was no one who could currently hold a candle to Guardiola in terms of managerial ability.

The ex-Barcelona player and manager heads to the Camp Nou for a reunion with his former employers on Wednesday evening, with many pundits and fans eagerly awaiting what promises to be an enthralling encounter between the two sides.

And, ahead of the contest in Catalunya, Enrique stated his belief that Guardiola was the best coach in the world at the present time, despite going on to say that it would be the players on the pitch who would ultimately decide who wins on the night.

He said: "For me he is the best current coach. I love attacking coaches like him. Since preseason you can see the influence of Guardiola on [Manchester] City. He has a big part to play in his teams and they will want the ball, the same way that we do.

"Pep really is a good friend. I think he's the best coach in the world. I love his attacking mentality. But this is not a match between the coaches. The players are the ones who'll decide victory and defeat."

Many football fans have already predicted that the winners of Wednesday's encounter will all but ensure their passage to the knockout stages of the continental tournament. Enrique, however, played down those suggestions and instead stated that there were three other group clashes that would determine who would progress out of the group stages.

He added:"There are games against opponents in which possession is not that important. It will be against Manchester City, but that does not mean that who has more possession will win.

"It is a good chance [to move ahead in the group] but then we have to go to Manchester. It is the third game in the group and when this is over, there will still be three games left. Nothing will be decided yet."