Pep Guardiola worried over state of Bird’s Nest pitch as he prepares to rekindle rivalry with Mourinho in China

Pep Guardiola says he just hopes to get through today’s much anticipated Manchester derby in China without any injuries after revealing fears over the quality of the pitch in Beijing.

One of the likely key rivalries of the forthcoming English Premier League season kicks off today, at the Bird’s Nest as new Manchester rivals Guardiola and Jose Mourinho face off with City and United.

And while Guardiola was keen to play down the long-held enmity between him and Mourinho – sparked during their days in charge of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively – he admitted the pitch was a major concern.

Beijing has been lashed by rainstorms in recent days, and the teams didn’t train at the Bird’s Nest as planned in an effort to prevent further damage to the surface.

“We didn’t see the pitch, but the information we have is there could be a lot of rain in the last day so it’s not in good condition,” Guardiola told English media. “We’re going to adapt, adjust.

“It’s the second game for our preparation.