Friendly rivalry building ahead of Manchester derby, says Juan Mata

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Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has opened up over the rivalry within the Spain squad ahead of Saturday’s Manchester derby.

Manchester United’s Spanish midfielder Juan Mata has admitted a friendly rivalry is building amongst the Spain players set to take part in Saturday’s Manchester Derby.

United players Juan Mata and David de Gea are currently away on International duty, for Spain’s World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein on Monday – alongside Manchester City players David Silva and Nolito.

In an interview on his personal website, Mata confessed that – although still focused on their International duties – the four Premier League players had already exchanged light-hearted jokes over the significance of Saturday’s match.

“David de Gea and me have been joking with Nolito and [David] Silva in the last few days, although the truth is we are now focused on the games with the national team.”

Saturday’s much-anticipated match will be the first time Manchester United and Manchester City have faced off against each other since appointing former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, and former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola respectively.

Mourinho and Guardiola have a long-standing rivalry stemming from their time spent at Spain’s two biggest clubs – with many of their previous encounters boiling over into ill-tempered and feisty affairs.

Now, with both teams having started their respective seasons with three wins from three games, many are expecting the rivalry to re-ignite with Saturday’s encounter, as both teams and managers do everything they can to secure all three points.

Speaking on the importance of the match, Mata was quick to acknowledge the added importance of the encounter, but was also keen to downplay the significance of the game in the season’s overall title race.

“All of us are fully aware that this is a very special game,” Mata told his official website. “We have to understand that these are three points, and don’t get too crazy.”

“Both teams have started the Premier League well and the expectations are high – as everybody can imagine.”

Mata has started all three of United’s Premier League games under Mourinho this season, and is expected to remain in the starting line-up for Saturday’s clash.