Manchester United are set to face Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City in China, with Juan Mata relishing the challenge.
Juan Mata says Manchester United must be wary of Borussia Dortmund’s attacking qualities ahead of the two teams’ meeting in Shanghai next Friday.
After Jose Mourinho’s first match in charge ended in a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic on Saturday, United turn their attention to upcoming International Champions Cup matches against Thomas Tuchel’s side and rivals Manchester City in China.
Dortmund are first up for United and Mata is wary of their offensive threat going into the match, which he hopes will kick-start another successful pre-season after United won against Barcelona in the United States prior to last season.
“They are two great clubs and when you play in this kind of competition you are focused on getting fit and getting ready for the season,” Mata, 28, told the club’s website.
“I think it’s a good experience and we’ll try to win as we did last season in the States. It’s always nice to win this tournament as you are up against very prestigious rivals.
“Dortmund have been playing great football over the last few years. They have been in a Champions League final and fighting with Bayern [Munich] for the Bundesliga.
“They have a great squad. I really like the way they play, I like to watch them on TV and it’ll be very tough because they are a very offensive team and a quality team.
“At this stage the most important thing isn’t the result but to get fit physically and mentally, but it’s difficult to have a friendly game against City or teams like this.”
Mata has enjoyed his pre-season experiences with United since signing from Chelsea two-and-a-half years ago.
He added: “It is most enjoyable to feel the love from the fans all around the world. We’ve been in the States twice since I’ve been at the club and it’s been incredible.
“We’ve played against Barcelona and Real Madrid and other great teams and we had more fans than anyone. It’s unbelievable to see how many fans we had in America and it’s going to be great to see all of our supporters in Asia.”
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