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Manchester United and Manchester City face off in the Premier League this weekend. In 2016 the weather prevented their planned fixture from going ahead.
The eyes of the world always fall on the Manchester derby.
It's a gigantic game whatever the circumstances and this weekend's Premier League meeting between City and United promises to be intriguing and enthralling in equal measure.
But whatever the outcome, it is unlikely to rival the farcical scenes that caused the abandonment of a fixture between the two sides nine years ago.
The two teams were due to contest the first Manchester derby outside the UK in the International Champions Cup in China during pre-season in 2016.
Except the game was called off, leaving 50,000 fans and a worldwide TV audience disappointed and Pep Guardiola furious.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing meant the contest was called off due to the shambolic state of the pitch.
Torrential weather had destroyed the playing surface, while a fungus problem meant large sections had been dug up only for the newly-laid grass to be washed away by the incessant rain.
It all added up to farcical scenes and prompted anger from both clubs, with Guardiola in particular not holding back.
“The pitch was unacceptable," he blasted in the aftermath of the abandonment. “We don't travel all the way to China just for holidays or a training session.
“We came to play two friendly games so I think it was the first time a game has been cancelled here. They are looking for hotels, inviting players, but at the end, if the pitch is not good enough, all that doesn't matter.
“For them, the pitch doesn't matter, but for us it's the most important thing. All the players and the coaches want to play as well as they can.
“Maybe there was a concert on the pitch 10 or 15 days before. Our groundsman was there for 10 days to try to take care of the pitch.
“It wasn't the water, it wasn't the rain. It was just the state of the pitch.
“We have played in really bad conditions in our careers, but that pitch two days ago was impossible to play on. It wasn't just about avoiding injured for the players, it was about the fans. They buy tickets to watch players of quality from City and United.
“But if we had played on that pitch, the fans would have said 'what is that game?' because it was unacceptable.
“The pitch [turf] would have moved two metres. Believe me, it was the right decision not to play on it.”
Both sides had expressed concerns about the surface in the build-up to the contest, with United boss Mourinho fearing injuries.
“If it was already a friendly then it becomes a double friendly because [the message is]: no injuries, play calm, play safe, go home, keep the preparation next week," he said.
“They are no conditions to play a good game of football, but we have to play. We cannot just run away and disappear and not play. So we have to play and try to be lucky.
“Normally when you say lucky you say lucky because you want a good result. The result I want tomorrow is to go home without injuries and that is the luck I want.”
Even the worst of the Manchester weather this weekend wouldn't compare.
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