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They arrived in the Far East as enemies, but Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola have closed ranks over their pre-season tours of China, which have descended into farce.

United and City contest the first Manchester derby outside of the UK on Monday at Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium, a game billed as a glittering global advertisement for the Premier League.

But the build-up has been dogged by problems with the pitch, concerns over the humidity and heat, and poor ticket sales, which will leave the arena – built for the 2008 Olympics - half-empty, with a crowd of just 40,000.

United and City were both unable to train at the Bird's Nest yesterday because organisers wanted to preserve the surface, to give them as much time as possible to make it safe and playable.

That meant both had to train at the nearby Olympic Sports Centre, with Mourinho forced to conduct his pre-match press conference pitchside, because of no air-conditioning in a cramped room where the temperature nudged 40C.

(Image: Getty Images) (Image: Reuters) (Image: Getty Images)

Guardiola had earlier held his media conference in the same room, when the temperature was slightly more bearable, but he and midfielder Fernandinho had to ask for towels to wipe the sweat from their faces.

United also had to deal with a plane carrying half of their squad being diverted to a location 75 miles from Beijing due to bad weather, meaning they did not arrive at the team hotel until the early hours of yesterday.

City, meanwhile, have complained of rooms in Beijing's Intercontinental Hotel stinking of smoke, while the touring party have also encountered red tape problems with the Chinese authorities.

Against that backdrop, no wonder United cannot wait to fly back home straight after today's game, while City must stay on to play Borussia Dortmund in Shenzhen on Thursday.

“It's near the end,” said Mourinho, who could not hide his fury at the shambolic situation he and his players found themselves in.

In pictures: Manchester City training

“It's the last day, the last match and then we can go home and train in good conditions, conditions where the players feel good and safe and bring their concentration and intensity to higher levels again.

“I cannot ask for anything from a tactical point of view or a performance level. I just hope the players keep calm and don’t let their motivation go down with all we've had to deal with in the last few days.

“We can go home safely, then we train at home and have two friendly matches before Leicester, in good conditions, in a good atmosphere, so just to finish and go home.”

There was a huge buzz about United and City playing each other in China, even more so when Mourinho was appointed and ensured he would face Guardiola, renewing a toxic rivalry when the pair managed Real Madrid and Barcelona.

But the issues that have formed an unwelcome backdrop to the game mean both manages will be thankful to get through today without any injuries, rather than getting one over on the other ahead of the new campaign.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: Man Utd via Getty) (Image: Man Utd via Getty)

“City against United for me is Old Trafford or the Etihad or a Cup final at Wembley, not a friendly,” said Mourinho.

“It was a friendly before we knew the conditions, now, after we know the conditions, it’s maybe a double friendly.”

The problems both clubs have faced on tour have taken the spotlight away from the rivalry between Mourinho and Guardiola, both of whom were keen to play down any friction between them.

"Of course I'll shake his hand,” said Mourinho. “I don't understand the question to him and I don't understand the question to me.

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"We worked together in Spain for three years, we were opponents in other clubs, but we're professionals and we have a normal relationship.

“So why shouldn't we shake hands?”

In pictures: Manchester United training

Guardiola was equally magnanimous when asked if he would reciprocate. “Of course,” he said.

“We're polite guys. Why not? Why would he not shake my hand? No reason why. He wants to win, I want to win, that’s all.”

Winning today is the least of Mourinho and Guardiola's concerns, both simply hoping to leave China with their squads intact after their respective tours from hell.

Asked for any positives from the trip to China, Mourinho said: "The fans, and the commercial activity, which is very important for our club and which we have to do.

"We try to do it in the most organised way, bit sometimes there are factors you cannot control. So we have to do it, but we have a good group, we have a good spirit and we cope with it."