Barcelona: Pep Guardiola dropped a major hint that he intends to remain on as Barcelona boss, saying that if Real Madrid triumph at Camp Nou in the clasico on Saturday night, he will congratulate Jose Mourinho's men on effectively clinching the La Liga title and immediately begin preparing for "next year".
The 41-year-old coach has led the Spanish champions to 13 titles since taking charge of the senior side in 2008 but is out of contract at the end of the season and his future with the Catalan giants has been the subject of much debate for many months.
However, in discussing the importance of this weekend's high-profile encounter, Guardiola appeared to confirm that he will sign a new deal with Barca.
"If they [Madrid] win or draw, the league is theirs," the former Barcelona B team boss told reporters during a pre-game press conference. "We can only win and if not, they will be champions. I would then congratulate them and prepare for next year."
Barca go into the game four points behind the league leaders. Given that there will be just four rounds of the season remaining after this weekend, many pundits believe that Madrid will travel to Catalunya in search of a draw.
However, Guardiola expects the Los Blancos to go on the offensive, arguing it will be a very different game to their Wednesday night's Champions League defeat by Chelsea, who were content to invite Barcelona onto them for 90 minutes and counter-attack whenever the opportunity presented itself.
"Madrid will come here to win the game, to press us," the former Spain international said. "When we dominate [possession], they take advantage of the space because that is one of their great virtues. Madrid will be a less defensive rival than Chelsea. Madrid always cause more problems than any other team. They always play well, whether you beat them or not."
Earlier, Guardiola also dismissed reports claiming he will be Chelsea's next permanent boss as "fantasy".
"It is fantasy, it's hypothetical," Guardiola said. "I am coach of Barcelona now and they [Chelsea] have a good manager [Roberto di Matteo], who is getting unbelievable results."
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