The much anticipated renewal of the Jose Mourinho-Pep Guardiola rivalry will get an earlier outing than surely either coach will have wished, when their new sides clash in a preseason friendly in Beijing on Monday. The two men, two of the finest coaches of their generation, sparred repeatedly while in Spain with Real Madrid and Barcelona, leading to some bitter exchanges. They have now come together in the same city this summer, but, with the Premier League title race promising to be more competitive than ever this season, both have played down their own personal rivalry.
