Guardiola will take on Mourinho again (Picture: Getty)
Guardiola will take on Mourinho again (Picture: Getty)

Pep Guardiola admitted he loves to compete with Jose Mourinho but insisted it’s not a ‘special situation’ to beat the Manchester United boss.

The Manchester City manager will face off against a familiar foe at Old Trafford on Sunday as he looks to extend their eight-point lead over United at the top of the Premier League table and he acknowledged that the pair see football in a very different way.

Mourinho and Guardiola famously clashed as managers of Real Madrid and Barcelona, with many of the El Clasico contests getting very heated on the touchline as well as on the pitch.

But Guardiola does not gain particular satisfaction from beating Mourinho and he insists that he respects the former Chelsea boss.

‘The way we see the game is different – that’s normal,’ he said. ‘But we love to compete. We love to win games.

‘But it’s not a special situation when we beat a Mourinho team. I want to win but I am a sportsman. When I lose, I accept the defeat and I try to learn from that and move on.

Pep Guardiola watches from the bench
Guardiola hopes to beat his rival (Picture: PA)

‘I respect a lot of my colleagues, José as well. He knows and I know we want to beat each other. Sunday will not be an exception for that.

‘But at the end, what happened on the pitch is on the pitch and after that, it’s over.’