After the teams were forced to re-schedule their training sessions yesterday to the nearby Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, United manager Mourinho and City boss Guardiola revealed they are anxious that the pitch could cut up badly and cause damage to key men with the Premier League season starting in three weeks.
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Manchester United v Manchester City and Pep Guardiola v Jose Mourinho.
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany said club staff had been working to get the game on after days of heavy rain in the Chinese capital, but had been defeated. Hardly the best of pre-seasons preparations.
Both teams were due to train on the pitch at the stadium on Sunday but had to switch their training sessions to the nearby Olympic Sports Centre instead.
The cancellation means fans will now have to wait until the English Premier League derby on September 10 for the bitter rivalry between Mourinho and Guardiola to be renewed.
With the season just weeks ago, a decision to cancel the game was taken amid fears that playing on the pitch might result in injuries.
Jose Mourinho’s last clash with Pep Guardiola was in the UEFA Super Cup in 2013, which Guardiola’s Bayern Munich won against Mourinho’s Chelsea on penalties.
“We worked together in Barcelona for three years, we were opponents at other clubs but we are professionals and have a normal relationship, why shouldn’t we shake hands?” he added.
We may get a glimpse on Monday at some more senior players but I feel that a lot of the youth players will get some time as well. Mourinho’s men played only one game in the Far East, the 4-1 defeat to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.
“We were always a club – and are still a club – that when teams come to Old Trafford, they know they are going to be up against it and they know they are probably going to lose”.
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On Saturday, bad weather conditions forced a plane carrying half of United’s squad to Beijing to be diverted. “In a match it’s more hard so, again, I hope our players and City’s players go home without any kind of injury to start the competitive period well”.
