Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has played down reports of a long-running rivalry between himself and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho.

Guardiola and Mourinho are widely regarded as two of the best managers in the world, but an apparent feud seemed to surface during their time in charge of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, when a string of ill-tempered El Clasico clashes sometimes spilled onto the touchline.

Both are now battling for the Premier League title with teams based in the same city, but Guardiola insists that showdowns with Mourinho have no special allure for him ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

"We have faced each other many times in big moments. My opinion about what he has done as a manager will never change. I know the way we see the game is different but we love to compete, we love to win games," he told reporters.

"Believe me, it is not a special situation when I beat somebody's teams at all. I want to win but when I lose I accept the defeat and I try to learn from that for the next one. Then we move on.

"I respect a lot of my colleagues, Jose as well. We want to beat each other but what happens on the pitch happens on the pitch. After that it is over."

City could open up an 11-point gap over United should they pick up a record-equalling 14th consecutive win on Sunday.