Man City to face Man Utd in China in first derby outside UK

By Paul Vinnell

Manchester City will play Manchester United in China this summer in their first derby to be played outside the UK.

The International Champions Cup game - which will be new City boss Pep Guardiola's first Manchester derby - will take place at Beijing's iconic Bird's Nest stadium, home of the 2008 Olympics.

City will then go on to play Borussia Dortmund on July 28 in Shenzhen.

Omar Berrada, Group Commercial Director of City Football Group, told the club's website: "Everyone at Manchester City is delighted to be taking part once again in the ICC and there is a great line-up of matches.

Image: The match will take place at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing

"We are excited to return to China and to the Bird's Nest for what promises to be a memorable tournament.

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"I'm sure our fans will create an incredible atmosphere in the Bird's Nest and in Shenzhen and we are looking forward to connecting with them both on and off the pitch.

"We are committed to having a long-term presence in China and to developing football across the country. We know our visit in July will form a big part of our continued growth."

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United won the last derby showdown this month, Marcus Rashford scoring the only goal of the game.

Image: Nemanja Vidic says playing in China is 'great news'

Former United defender Nemanja Vidic said on MUTV: "I think it's great news we're coming on tour to China.

"We have so many followers in the country, over 100 million fans and it's good to visit them and spend some time with them. They're really passionate about United.

"I was in China in 2007 and I have to say the amount of energy we got from the fans there was unbelievable."

Former United midfielder Bryan Robson said: "They're great games to look forward to. Dortmund are just behind Bayern Munich as the biggest team in Germany and have some fabulous players.

"It'll be a treat for the fans to experience a derby game. People have said it'll be one of Pep Guardiola's first games as City manager but that doesn't matter as much as it's a derby and you have to go out there and try to win."

Other English clubs who will be taking part in ICC pre-season games this summer are Premier League leaders Leicester along with Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.

Image: Marc Albrighton and Leicester City players celebrate

Leicester will take on Celtic in Glasgow on July 23, Paris St Germain in Los Angeles on July 31 and then Barcelona in Stockholm on August 3.

Liverpool and Chelsea will go head-to-head on July 27, with the former then playing AC Milan on July 30 - both games occurring at California venues. The Reds then face Barca on August 6 at a venue yet to be confirmed.

Chelsea's other ICC games are against Real Madrid on July 30 (venue to be confirmed) and Milan in Minneapolis on August 3.

Tottenham are set to play two matches in Melbourne, against Juventus and Atletico Madrid on July 26 and 29.

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