Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini says he has no intention of igniting a feud with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho ahead of the two teams' Premier League showdown on Sunday.
The pair previously crossed swords in Spain, with Mourinho denigrating the Chilean's record with Real Madrid after succeeding him at the Bernabeu in 2010.
Sunday's game at Stamford Bridge will be their first encounter in English football, but Pellegrini says he does wish to revisit old disagreements.
"I never get involved in the moment and I will not get involved now," he said during Friday's pre-match press conference.
"I don't know him. He worked in Spain, I worked in another club. We played Real Madrid against Malaga, nothing more. I don't have any complaint about him."
Both managers' current teams are riding high in the Premier League.
Chelsea climbed to second place with a 4-1 win over Cardiff City last weekend, while City stole into the top four by winning 3-1 at West Ham United.
They each carried their good form into the Champions League in mid-week, Chelsea winning 3-0 at principle Group E rivals Schalke and City beating CSKA Moscow 2-1 in the Russian capital.
City's victory was however scarred by racist chanting aimed at midfielder Yaya Toure, for which the Russian club have been charged by European governing body UEFA.
Toure has been in commanding form for City this season, scoring four goals in eight league games, and Mourinho has described the powerful Ivorian as a "fantastic player".
"He gives them everything," the Portuguese said. "Leadership, defensive work, attacking work, goals, set-plays, physicality, experience."
The trip to west London will be City's third match in a run of four consecutive away games in all competitions, but midfielder Samir Nasri says they can take heart from their recent performances on the road.
"Winning at West Ham and CSKA means we will go into this game with a lot more confidence," the Frenchman told the club website.
"It was important we started winning away in the Premier League but we know Chelsea won't be an easy game.
"I think they are more complete than they were last season. They are always a threat, especially on their own pitch and with Jose Mourinho returning, that's even more the case, so we will have to be at our best if we are to get a good result."
The visitors will be without captain Vincent Kompany, who is still not ready to return following a thigh problem, but Pellegrini says that Jack Rodwell could feature after overcoming a hamstring complaint.
Mourinho can once again call on left-back Ashley Cole, who has not played since sustaining a rib injury in the 3-1 win away to Norwich City on October 6.
The England international will return in place of Cesar Azpilicueta, who filled in at left-back against Schalke.
Mourinho must also choose between Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto'o to lead the line, with both players having found the net in their most recent outings.
Eto'o registered his first Chelsea goal and laid on an assist in the victory over Cardiff, while Torres found the net twice in an eye-catching display against Schalke in Gelsenkirchen.
Eden Hazard has also impressed, scoring twice against Cardiff and then sealing the win over Schalke with the third goal, and he credits Mourinho with the team's current form.
"Jose has brought his experience," the Belgian attacker told Chelsea's website.
"He is a coach who helps us players. He impresses me with how much he knows. It's not bad, the amount of things that he has won before!
"At the moment it's going well. I hope he will keep on winning and we can win together, as a group.
"All the managers I have worked under have wanted me to have a decisive role in the team, to score goals and to make assists. I try to follow the game plan and do my job on the pitch."
Tottenham Hotspur will look to maintain their impressive defensive record when they face Hull City in the Premier League at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
The north London side, currently fifth in the table, just missed out on a Champions League place last season and are desperate for a top four finish that would secure a place in the next edition of European club football's elite tournament.
Best known for their attacking play, Spurs have kept 11 clean sheets in 14 games so far this season.
"We defend as a team and it's great to have clean sheets for the confidence of the defenders and the goalkeeper," said Spurs centre-back Jan Vertonghen.
"The midfield and strikers give us a lot of pressing and we do well as a team," the Belgium international added.
"Most of the defenders are the same as last season, we've adapted to each other and everyone does his job and that's important in the Premier League."
Sunday's match will see former Spurs midfielder Tom Huddlestone returning to White Hart Lane following his pre-season move to Hull.
Tom is a fantastic player as we all know," said Tottenham midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, who played alongside Huddlestone at Spurs.
"I saw at first-hand last season just how good he can be, his passing and vision is unbelievable and if we allow him too much time, he will find his targets and cause us damage.
"He and Jake Livermore have done really well for Hull, they've come in to their midfield and been almost ever-present and I'm sure their performances are one of the reasons why they have made a decent start to the campaign."
Newly-promoted Hull are ninth in the table, five points adrift of Spurs.
They will arrive in north London without first-choice goalkeeper Allan McGregor after the Scotland international suffered a thigh injury.
As a result, former Newcastle keeper Steve Harper is set to make his first league start for the Tigers.
Hull manager Steve Bruce was confident the 38-year-old veteran would not be overawed by the occasion.
"This is the reason we brought Steve in. He's got an abundance of Premier League experience and we're lucky that we can call upon somebody like him," Bruce said.
Harper, a pre-season arrival, added: "If the chance comes my way, I'll look forward to getting some games in. My last Premier League game was for Newcastle in May, so it will be great to be back involved.
"That was part of my reason for coming here, to stay involved in the Premier League and maximise my chances of getting an opportunity in this league. Hopefully that will come along on Sunday.
"Injuries do come along at some stage and that gives opportunities to other people."
McGregor, 31, is likely to be out for six weeks.
His fine form since arriving from Besiktas before the start of the current campaign has played a big part in Hull's impressive run of results.
Bruce said: "Allan will be a big miss for us because he has played very well and we wish him a speedy recovery."
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet hopes the passion of Sunday's derby against bitter rivals Newcastle can help kickstart his team's flagging Premier League campaign.
The stakes are high for Sunderland and Poyet, the man who replaced Paolo di Canio, as they attempt to breathe life into a season that has produced only one point from eight matches and left them bottom of the table.
Newcastle, meanwhile, are eager to exact revenge for the 3-0 home defeat they suffered against Sunderland earlier this year.
"I don't miss playing games apart from the big ones -- and this one is massive," Poyet said.
"It's a perfect game to win. If we need to win one game here, it's this one."
Whether all the players inherited by Poyet fully understand what this match means in the north-east corner of England is uncertain.
Di Canio signed 14 new players in pre-season, most of them from abroad, and the tension of the derby will be a new experience for many of them.
"We will see the passion of the players and, if it's not there, we do have a problem," said Poyet, who may recall former Manchester United defender Wes Brown after a 21-month absence with a knee injury.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew will have to make at least one change.
Fabricio Coloccini is still troubled by a groin strain, while either Steven Taylor or Paul Dummett will come in for suspended French defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.
Newcastle may be 10th in the table but Pardew is aware Poyet has a formidable record against them as both player and manager.
Poyet scored so many goals in matches against Newcastle he was called the "scourge" of the club by former Magpies manager Bobby Robson.
And when Poyet was in charge at Brighton, they inflicted two cup defeats on Newcastle teams managed by Pardew.
"My whole career in English football has been linked with Newcastle," Poyet said.
"I have a good reputation against them and I hope that continues on Sunday. But this match will not be won by myself or Alan Pardew. It will be won by the players on the pitch."
Pardew is not worried by those cup setbacks, however, pointing out Newcastle fielded weakened teams on both occasions.
"This will be a very different team," he said. "We didn't really have the resources when those games came around. We have a much stronger team going into this particular game and I would like to think that we will get a positive result.
"Sunderland have one point, so there is a lot of pressure on them but they have good players and it is always difficult at the Stadium of Light," Pardew added.
"I have seen two games there this year and I thought they did okay.
"It is Gus Poyet's first home game as the manager of Sunderland, so there will be an extra special atmosphere. We need to be prepared for that and hopefully we will.
"I think we've got a very attacking side and we are good to watch when we are in full flow and hopefully we can bring that to the surface on Sunday."
