One man is a proven master of English football, while the other—who mastered Spanish and German football—famously underestimated English football. Yet, when Manchester United and Manchester City lock horns in a crucial Premier League game on Thursday night, the two bosses will be fighting, not for the title, but a place in the top four.
Before the start of the season, Jose Mourinho, the master, was smarting from the humiliation of being sacked by his beloved Chelsea. It looked like he was a man out to redeem his lost pride when he took up the challenge to revive a battered post-Ferguson Manchester United.
Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, finally made his long-awaited appearance in England after two trophy-laden terms at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. He was to bring the tiki-taka of his homeland to England. Manchester City's transition to his style of football was expected to be smooth.
As things turned out, having arrived at the business end of the season, the Manchester derby now features two frustrated teams and two equally exasperated managers.
The clubs spent lavishly in the summer market to back the aspirations of their new managers.
But with the title hopes of the Manchester clubs having gone up in smoke, the teams have been relegated to fighting for the coveted Champions League spots, while Chelsea and Tottenham battle it out for the trophy.
City in fourth and United in fifth are contesting for the third and fourth places alongside Liverpool, who now occupy the third spot. Liverpool's 0-1 loss to Crystal Palace, on Wednesday night, added spice to the contest.
United are currently on a 23-game unbeaten league run, though 10 of those ended up in draws. Though nowhere near the top, a masterful Mourinho-devised outing against Chelsea last week had the 20-time English champions halt his former club's title charge with a 2-0 victory. The Portuguese manager will be hoping to dismantle the club's neighbour tonight in similar fashion.
The Red Devils have already won the Capital One Cup and are favourites to lift the Europa League title. Though the league season has been a disappointment, a top four finish will offer some consolation.
Manchester City, on the other hand, were kicked out of the FA Cup by Arsenal, which means that there will be no silverware this season for the blue side of Manchester. It also means that Pep will have his first trophy-less season since becoming a coach.
City started the Premier League season on a high, but failed to live up to the expectations as the season wore on. Injuries and goalkeeping problems rendered the side helpless as they crashed out of tournaments one by one. Guardiola's philosophy was not successfully implemented. But the man has sought more time to bring his side to the level of his two former clubs.
Marcos Rojo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juan Mata will miss the game for United due to injuries. Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are doubtful. All eyes will be on Zlatan replacement Marcus Rashford after his recent splendid run of form.
City heroes Sergio Aguero and David Silva could return to the starting lineup after missing the Arsenal game, while record signing John Stones and youngster Gabriel Jesus remain injured.
The last Manchester derby resulted in City edging out their neighbours 2-1 at the Old Trafford stadium. Thursday's reverse fixture was originally scheduled to be held at the end of February, but was pushed to the end of the season because of clashing cup ties. The derby adds to the hectic season-ending schedule for the top teams, not without the frequent lamentations from Mourinho over the dates being "unfair".
Both men go into the game with a lot to prove to their fans. A win for United will see them leapfrogging City into fourth position, with a three-goal margin taking them past Liverpool on goal difference. Should City win, Guardiola's men will claim the third spot, giving sixth-placed Arsenal a chance at displacing United, who is placed fifth. That is how decisive this fixture could be.