CRI听力:Preview of Manchester derby in Beijing

Pep Guardiola is back in Beijing.

The former Barcelona, Bayern Munich manager is here with Manchester City for the International Champions Cup China.

Guardiola is no stranger to the Chinese capital. He was in Beijing exactly a year ago with Bayern Munich for their China tour.

Now back with a new squad, Guardiola says Beijing remains the same, and it is the experience of working with new people that excites him.

"Last year it was my 3rd season with Bayern Munich so we knew each other very well. And now I'm so happy, I'm so glad to be here, to work with these guys. But not just the guys, also the staff. I'm really impressed with how they work, with the players, with everyone together. And I feel we are going to create something good for this club, for this season. We are going to play well, and I think our people are going to be proud of us."

Barely a month since he took over at Man City, Guardiola finds himself facing old acquaintance Jose Mourinho in the upcoming game against Manchester neighbors United.

Back when they were both in La Liga, Guardiola and Mourinho had many "El Clasico" showdowns as managers of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Just because their former teams are arch rivals and biggest contenders for titles in Spain, doesn't mean they can't have a good relationship.

Both managers played down talks that they have unsettled "vendettas" and appeared baffled by such questions.

"We are both polite guys. Why not? Why shouldn't I shake hands with him? There's no reason why not. They want to win, we want win. That's all."
Mourinho returns the favor with the same friendly gesture and puts the question to rest.

"Of course I'll shake his hand. Of course. I don't understand that addressed to him or myself. We worked together in Barcelona for 3 years, we were opponents in other clubs, but we are just professionals and we have a normal relation so why shouldn't we shake hands?"

The two have faced each other 16 times before. Guardiola leads their head-on record at 7-3.

However both lost their first games in charge. Guardiola's Man City went down to his team of the last 3 seasons, Bayern Munich, in Germany, while Mourinho's United were swept by double German runners-up Dortmund 4-1 in Shanghai earlier this week.

They will be hoping to improve their records with the new team from the game tomorrow that both say will be "very friendly".

The two teams' scheduled trainings were moved from the National Stadium to the Olympic Sports Center, as the pitch at the National Stadium is undergoing renovations to better accommodate tonight's game.

With the venue, managers and teams all set, the Manchester derby at the Bird's Nest is set to sweep the football world by storm.

For CRI, this is Fu Yu.