Jose Mourinho calls Manchester City stars cheats as Manchester United boss accuses them of diving ahead of Sunday's Premier League derby

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Jose Mourinho has stoked the fierce rivalry before the Old Trafford derby by accusing Manchester City players of diving.

Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva have been criticised by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Burnley boss Sean Dyche of going down too easily this season, while Fernandinho was booked for simulation at Huddersfield.

Mourinho weighed in ahead of an eagerly awaited 175th Manchester derby, saying: ‘If you ask me one thing that I don’t like a lot, it’s that they lose their balance very easily. A little bit of wind and they fall.’

Jose Mourinho has stoked the fierce rivalry by accusing Manchester City players of diving

Raheem Sterling is among those players criticised for going down too easily this season

It is safe to assume that Mourinho’s comments were designed to get under Pep Guardiola’s skin

It is safe to assume that Mourinho’s comments were designed to get under Pep Guardiola’s skin and were a clear suggestion that his City players are prone to diving.

The mood at the Etihad when Wenger accused Sterling last month was one of anger and indignation. The Old Trafford boss will no doubt have been hoping to plant a seed of doubt in the mind of referee Michael Oliver, who has awarded three penalties against Mourinho’s side on the last five occasions he has taken charge of a United game.

All in all, it made for a colourful twist in what has been a largely dour rivalry between Mourinho and Guardiola since both moved to Manchester 18 months ago.

The sparks that flew in Spain have not been seen in England and a diplomatic Guardiola went so far as to say they were ‘twins’.

Bernardo Silva was accused of diving when he and Burnley's Nick Pope went head to head

Fernandinho was booked for simulation against Huddersfield Town’s Rajiv van La Parra

Mourinho's Manchester United take on City in a Premier League derby clash on Sunday

Mourinho’s position has altered, however, no doubt influenced by the fact that he needs any advantage he can get to inflict City’s first league defeat of the season and chip away at the eight-point gap at the top of the table.

Having questioned whether he would have got away with Guardiola’s extraordinary confrontation with Southampton winger Nathan Redmond last week, Mourinho questioned the validity of David Silva’s injury that kept him out of the defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek — City’s first in any competition this season. He has also been stung by suggestions that this is a battle of United’s giants against City’s genius.

‘I think it will be easy for Vincent Kompany to compete against Juan Mata in the air,’ he said sarcastically. Silva is fit to play although there is still a doubt about Kompany.

Mourinho questioned David Silva’s injury that kept him out of the defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk

United have Phil Jones available again but Eric Bailly is out. Marouane Fellaini, a key element in that aerial threat, faces a late fitness test. Certainly, the onus is on United to win and the feeling is that they will look to hit their neighbours on the counter-attack.

‘I think you all want to know how we are going to play,’ said Mourinho. ‘Everyone connected with football professionally or as a fan, there is that question: Who is going to play? How are we going to try to play? I’m not going to tell.’

Guardiola is trying to set a new Premier League record of 14 straight wins in a single season and said: ‘We have to be well organised, knowing the opponents want to punish you when you lose the ball with the magnificent counter-attack. The teams of Jose Mourinho — Chelsea, Real Madrid, here — they are masters of that.

United have Phil Jones available again to take on league leaders City, but Eric Bailly is out

‘When they concede 33 shots and win 3-1 (at Arsenal last weekend), few teams in the world are able to do that. That’s why you have to be careful. But I never criticise my colleagues for the way they play.’

Unlike Mourinho, Guardiola was clearly reluctant to ruffle any feathers ahead of the big game, even though he admitted to not seeing anything of his counterpart, despite living five minutes apart.

‘They want to win trophies, we want to win trophies,’ said Guardiola. ‘Definitely in that we are twins. Our relationship is friendly, it’s correct. I’m not thinking about eight points. Win, draw or lose, we are not going to win or lose the Premier League. It’s December.’