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MANCHESTER. — John Stones is confident Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho will not allow their bitter rivalry to spoil tomorrow’s eagerly-awaited Manchester derby.
Guardiola and Mourinho endured a toxic relationship when the pair were in charge of Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain, frequently clashing on and off the football pitch.
The feuding pair meet for the first time as City and United bosses when the two Manchester rivals meet at Old Trafford this weekend, with their 100 percent records on the line.
But City defender Stones, a £49 million summer signing from Everton, believes Guardiola and Mourinho will make sure their personal issues are not allowed to overshadow the most hotly anticipated game of the new campaign.
“I’m not getting into that, to be honest,” said Stones, when asked about the rivalry between Guardiola and Mourinho.
“That’s another big debate that’s been about, but I’m sure they’ll show their respect to each other.
“They’re two very respectable men, who’ve done a lot in the game, and we’ll just have to see how it pans out, but I’m sure they’ll be respectful to each other, whatever happens.”
Stones has played in Merseyside derbies before, but tomorrow will be his first taste of the Manchester clash, and he admitted he has been talking to his City team-mates about what to expect ahead of the potentially epic encounter.
“I’ve watched them in the past and seen what good games they are, so I’ll be trying to get as much information off the boys about them and I’m super-excited about it,” said Stones.
“It will be one of those where, once you’ve played in it, you’ll realise the importance, and I suppose then I can tell people how they compare (Manchester and Merseyside derbies) and I’m sure they’ll be very similar – passionate games, there’s a lot at stake, bragging rights.
“It’s something I’ve been through before (with Everton) and hopefully I can bring that experience from that to this game and I’m just thoroughly looking forward to it.”
Stones will be entrusted with the task of marking United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has scored three goals in his first three Premier League outings for Jose Mourinho’s side.
But Stones has already faced Ibrahimovic this summer, at Old Trafford for Wayne Rooney’s testimonial, when Everton were the opposition and he had yet to make his switch to City.
That game ended goalless and Stones will be hoping he can repeat that feat by shutting out Ibrahimovic and the rest of United’s attack tomorrow.
“We played United, before I came here, in a charity match for Wayne Rooney and I was up against Ibrahimovic, so I’ve had experience of playing against him before and hopefully I can figure out what he’s going to do if he plays or, if I play, which I hopefully will do,” said Stones.
“It will be an exciting game with a lot of big stars on the pitch, and I’m sure it’ll be a great watch for the fans who are going over to the game.”
Stones scored just once for Everton, ironically against United, and admitted this weekend would be the perfect time to repeat that feat.
“I’ll try my best,” said Stones, talking to City TV. “I’d love to, yeah, it would be another special moment (to score against United) and I’m sure not only me, but all the boys will be trying hard to get on the score-sheet and, more importantly, try to keep a clean sheet, but it would be nice to score against them again.”
Reflecting on the impact Guardiola has had on him in such a short space of time, Stones said: “It’s just little details, you know.
“I’m trying to learn off the best players in the country, and working day-in and day-out with all the staff and the players is bringing my game on already and I’m just trying to keep working hard, on and off the pitch, and taking in as much information as I can to prepare me for each game.
“It’s not only going to be a tactical game but a technical game at the weekend, with a lot of heart on everyone’s sleeves I suppose, so I’m trying to take in as much as I can this week to prepare myself for the game.”
Meanwhile, a clash between supposedly the two most expensive line-ups in history overseen by two of the most decorated coaches will end the phoney war and ignite the English Premier League soccer season for real when Manchester United host Manchester City tomorrow.
Jose Mourinho’s United and City, under the command of his old adversary Pep Guardiola, have enjoyed 100 percent starts as tens of millions of pounds worth of summer buys bed in.
But much more will be known about their title-winning credentials when the final whistle sounds on the lunch-time kick-off at Old Trafford.
From the moment the fixture list was published in June, the continuation of the often frosty and occasionally volatile Mourinho-Guardiola rivalry has been eagerly-anticipated.
The chance to land an early blow in the first seismic clash of the season will be irresistible.
Both clubs chronically under-achieved last season, City finishing above United on goal difference in fourth.
But after installing serial trophy hunters in the respective managerial hots-eats and making a splurge of signings both have won their opening three games and moods have been transformed.
Mourinho spent upwards of 145 million pounds in the close season signing the likes of Paul Pogba while Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who once dubbed Guardiola a ‘spineless coward’, joined for free after leaving Paris St Germain.
“He is the mastermind, the masterbrain,” Ibrahimovic said of Mourinho, who he played for at Inter Milan.
“He knows what he needs to do to win.”
Guardiola has spent around 175 million revamping City’s creaking side with English defender John Stones and German winger Leroy Sane among those added to their already expensive ranks.
While City’s Sergio Aguero will be suspended and Sane injured, the two starting line-ups are likely to feature six of the 12 most expensive players in English football history with the total value of the 22 to line up expected to be around 600 million pounds.
It should produce the kind of spectacle to justify the hype surrounding this year’s Premier League in which Chelsea, under new coach Antonio Conte, are also 100 percent after three games.
But the cameras will not only be aimed at the galaxy of talent on the pitch. What happens in the respective dugouts will be equally engrossing as Guardiola and Mourinho cross swords again, having been involved in some epic past skirmishes.
On the pitch former Barcelona boss Guardiola has usually mastered Mourinho, losing only three of their 16 meetings. Mourinho more than held his own off it though, regularly riling Guardiola with his barbed comments. — AFP.
Online Reporter