Manchester City have lost all five of their Champions League encounters against the Spanish club including a 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Nou Camp a fortnight ago.
But they have not helped themselves by having a men sent off in four of the five games.
And goalkeeper Claudio Bravo’s 53rd minute dismissal in the most recent defeat was catastrophic because City were losing by only a goal and well in the game at that stage. But it left them with 10 men for the final 37 minutes when they conceded three goals.
Guardiola has spoken to Nolito, in particular, about his discipline after the Spanish striker inclined his forehead towards West Brom defender Craig Dawson on Saturday, having already been sent off for a similar offence against Bournemouth this season.
It’s always difficult to win Champions League games anyway and it’s always difficult against Barcelona
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola
He said: “Yes, you have to learn. It’s always difficult to win Champions League games anyway and it’s always difficult against Barcelona 11 v 11, so when it’s 10 v 11 it’s almost impossible.
“Manuel [Pelllegrini] lived [through] that in his time here. Sometimes the red cards were unfair anbd the last time it was from a mistake [by Bravo].
“But at that level it’s impossible to achieve your targets if you don’t keep your discipline. It’s football, and __football is a game of mistakes. But I completely agree with you about the importance of discipline.”
Bravo will be suspended tomorrow for a game City need something from to improve their hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages.
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A boost for City is that Barcelona will be without three key players Andres Inesta, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba who are all injured, plus replacement centre back Jeremy Mathieu who is suspended after his red card in the game in the Nou Camp.
Guardiola says his players’ confidence has been boosted by their return to winning ways at West Brom after a six-game win-less run and says they must treat the game like “ a final.”
He added: “We will need th enear perfect performance to beat Barcelona. Winning the last game will help us a lot, not just us, but all teams in the world. When you play a game having won the previous one the feeling is much better.
“We have to play as if it’s a final. It’s not a final for them, but it is a final for us. We have three games left, we dropped two pts in Glasgow, we were penalised then, so we have to recover those points in next two games. We have to win two games form three in the group now – or at least get a draw and a win.”
Sergio Aguero, controversially left out of the game in the Nou Camp, will start tomorrow after returning to scoring form with two at the Hawthorns. But he wants Aguero to develop his own qualities rather than emulate Barcelona’s Luis Suarez.
“No, the quality is Luis Suarez, I don’t want those qualities, Aguero has own qualities,” he said. “I want to help Aguero to achieve his huge qualities as much as possible.
“Suarez has a quality I can’t ask of Sergio. What Suarez does I can’t ask Sergio because it would be unfair. I want to build up Sergio’s quality and also his mentality.
“I think we know what we have to do to beat them, they know us, hopefully our quality up front will make a difference tomorrow."
Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne are set to return for City. But both regular right backs, Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta are missing through injury, so Guardiola has to decide between using midfielder Fernando or youngster Pablo Maffeo - who impressed at Old Trafford last week - in the right back slot.