Premier League fixtures: Mourinho and Guardiola to promptly renew rivalry

Jose Mourinho will not have to wait for long to renew his rivalry with Pep Guardiola when Manchester United take on Manchester City at Old Trafford on September 10.

United and City meet in what will be the fourth Premier League game in charge for both managers, who famously clashed when they managed Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively in La Liga.

Mourinho and Guardiola have done battle a total of 16 times as managers, with the Catalan winning seven, six matches ending in draws and three wins for ‘The Special One’.

The most recent meeting came in August 2013 when Guardiola’s Bayern Munich defeated Chelsea on penalties after a dramatic 2-2 draw in the UEFA Super Cup final in Prague.

The second Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium is due to take place on February 25.

Mourinho is not short on rivals in the Premier League, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger a famous foe from battles while he was at Chelsea.

The two bosses have regularly engaged in mind games off the pitch and Mourinho has never suffered defeat against the Frenchman in 13 competitive encounters, winning seven including in last September’s Premier League meeting at Stamford Bridge.

Wenger did get a victory over Mourinho in the 2015 Community Shield, while Chelsea won the other meeting in that fixture back in 2005.

United are at home against Arsenal on November 19, before the two teams meet on May 6 at the Emirates Stadium. That match could be potentially decisive to the ambitions of both sides, with only two games to follow that meeting.

Mourinho will return to Stamford Bridge for the first time with United on October 22, his new side’s ninth match of the campaign, before Chelsea come to Old Trafford on April 15.

United’s campaign opens at AFC Bournemouth on August 13 and the Portuguese boss will hope to continue his strong record on the first day of the Premier League season – he has won six and drawn one of his previous seven top-flight openers.

Guardiola’s first league game in charge is at home to Sunderland, giving him a strong chance of continuing City’s impressive run in opening weekend fixtures that has seen the club win each of their last five.

After losing his first top-flight game as a head coach with Barcelona against Numancia in 2008, the 45-year-old himself has won six consecutive opening weekend games since at Barcelona and Bayern.

Guardiola will also renew his battles with Jurgen Klopp, who is now at Liverpool having been in charge of Borussia Dortmund during two of the Catalan’s three years in Germany. 

The Spaniard won the Bundesliga each time, but Klopp’s men knocked Bayern out of the DFB-Pokal semi-finals in 2015, avenging a defeat against their rivals in the 2014 final.

New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte begins with what looks like an entertaining first match at home to London rivals West Ham at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have won more points than any other team in the Premier League era on the first weekend, with 51 points, while no side has lost as many openers as West Ham (nine).

Ronald Koeman has left Southampton to join Everton, but his return to the St Mary’s Stadium does not come until November 26, while his new side are at home to his former club on February 25.