The former Arsenal and Barcelona player will go head to head with Guardiola on Wednesday as his Feyenoord side host City in the Champions League group stage.
And ahead of the game, he has hailed Guardiola as an inspiration, praising his philosophy and trophy-winning credentials.
“[Pep] is a great manager,” he said at a press conference in the De Kuip Stadium on Tuesday.
“He’s a big inspiration for me, he’s won everything to win as a coach as FC Barcelona.
“It’s very good to see. He has his own vision and he lets the players play the way he wants.
“For me, he’s a big inspiration.”
City have started the season well, winning three of their opening four games, including a 5-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday.
They sit second in the Premier League table and are now 12 matches unbeaten going back to last season, form which has seen them installed as favourites for the title.
And Van Bronckhorst has praised the depth of quality City possess and believes they are well capable of winning this season’s Champions League.
“They had a good start to the season,” he said.
“It’s a good coach. I’ve seen some games and it’s one of the best teams in Europe.
“If you have a squad like Man City have, players with a lot of quality and experience, for me it’s a team that can win the Champions League.
“We are going to try our best. It’s a big task for us against one of the best clubs. Especially at home, we are able to get a result.
“It’s very important for us to be at our level.”
