Manchester City v Manchester United: What to know ahead of the friendly

A look at the storylines in play ahead of Monday afternoon's Manchester City v Manchester United friendly in Beijing, including time and TV information.

Chinese fans of Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea. Mark Schiefelbein / AP Photo

• UPDATE: It has been announced the match is cancelled due to the weather and state of pitch in Beijing.

Manchester City v Manchester United in Beijing, 3.30pm UAE time, BeIn Sports 1HD (Arabic) and 11HD (English)

Manchester City and Manchester United are set to do battle in an intriguing and historic friendly in Beijing.

Here, Press Association Sport picks out five of the key talking points ahead of the China encounter.

Mourinho and Guardiola renew hostilities

The managers endured a fractious relationship in Spain, with things often becoming heated as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola battled for the La Liga crown with Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. That rivalry will be reignited for the first time on Monday and, even though both downplayed talk of hostility in the build-up, footballing eyes across the world will be trained on them.

First Manchester derby on the road

City's financial backing has seen them become regular challengers for a Premier League title that was so often housed at Old Trafford over recent decades. The increased competition has fuelled a rivalry that has headed to foreign shores for the first time. Monday's International Champions Cup friendly in Beijing will be the first time they have met on international soil and few would expect it to be the last.

Will Chinese fans fill the stands?

With such a clamour for Premier League football in China, eyebrows were raised when the United and Borussia Dortmund players emerged to a half-empty stadium in Shanghai on Friday. It seems prohibitively high ticket prices rather than a lack of interest was the issue, but organisers are hopeful there will be more fans in the ground on Monday.

The Bird’s Nest pitch

There remains fears those planning to attend the game on Monday could be left disappointed. Heavy rainfall over the past week has damaged the Bird’s Nest playing surface, with City and United training at the nearby Olympic Sports Centre on the eve of the game in a bid to protect the pitch. An International Champions Cup source said the pitch was “fine”, but heavy rain was expected that could make matters worse and potentially even force it off. If they do play, expect a far tamer derby clash than you have seen before.

Will we see some big names?

City fielded a youthful side in the loss to Bayern Munich as their players started to filter back from extended breaks following summer international exertions. Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling and David de Gea were in attendance in Shanghai but not in the squad as Dortmund triumphed 4-1, with the troublesome pitch perhaps ending any hope of Chinese fans seeing such heroes in the flesh.

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