Pep Guardiola insists he has no doubts that Xavi Hernandez can make a triumphant return to Barcelona as manager.
The Blaugrana are on the lookout for a new manager who can salvage their season, after Ronald Koeman was punished for overseeing one defeat too many.
A 1-0 loss at Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday saw Koeman dismissed a little over a year after leaving the Netherlands national team to take over at Camp Nou.
The team are down in ninth, with Champions League qualification a challenge and the title looking even tougher to secure, and there is pressure to get the next appointment right.
Former club captain Xavi is set to take charge after the next international break, and while his inexperience may be off-putting to some supporters, he has the backing of one of the Manchester City chief.
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"Xavi, if it happens, I don't have any doubts that he's ready to do the job," Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester City's Premier League match against Crystal Palace.
"He knows the environment which is so important. He knows the game, he has passion. He has more experience now that I had when I took over.
"If Xavi is the next manager, I wish him all the best and hopefully step by step the team can come back."
Guardiola won two Champions League finals with Barcelona, and Xavi played every minute of both. The midfielder even captained the side in 2011 as a dominant Barca beat Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley.
And while Xavi's only managerial experience to date comes with Al-Sadd in Qatar, Guardiola believes the 41-year-old is ready to follow in his footsteps, having been similarly inexperienced when he took over at Camp Nou.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta will ultimately decide on Koeman's successor, and the Al-Sadd boss is his No.1 pick - despite having turned down the role in the summer.
"I have very good references, I speak with [Xavi] very often and I know his opinion about the team, but they are confidential conversations between friends," Laporta told the media ahead of Barcelona's weekend game against Alaves. "You could say that we have seen Barca games together because we call each other when they finish."
"We appreciate each other and my opinion of him is very good. I have always said that one day he would coach Barca."
