United’s title bid tested by the Blues
JOSE Mourinho and Pep Guardiola will go head-to-head for the first time next season on November 10.
The United manager is in the process of a summer overhaul in a bid to dethrone the Premier League champions.
And while he will already have an idea about his side’s title credentials by the time of the first derby – the clash with Guardiola’s all-conquering team will be a truer guage of United’s ambitions.
It was the home defeat to City last season that effectively killed off Mourinho’s hopes of delivering a first league title post Sir Alex Ferguson.
He will believe he has a good chance of emulating last term’s lightning start, which saw his side win six of their first seven fixtures.
Having been handed a relatively kind start again this term, facing just one of the top six – Tottenham at home – in the first eight games of the new campaign, with an opener against Leicester at home.
The second derby will be at Old Trafford on March 16.
That comes at the end of what could be a key spell for United’s title hopes, which sees them play Liverpool, Arsenal and City in three out of five games.
United could also be competing in the knockout stages of the Champions League in the middle of such a difficult run.
The games against Liverpool are scheduled for Anfield on December 15 and Old Trafford on February 23.
The Christmas fixture list has been kind to United fans, with a Boxing Day game at home to Huddersfield and another home tie against Bournemouth on December 29.
United travel to Newcastle on New Year’s Day.
Mourinho will hope he is lifting the Premier League trophy on the final day of the season when United host Cardiff on May 12.