Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has urged Manchester United to adapt to the demanding fixture schedule ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby.
City will have two additional days to recover and prepare for the clash after defeating Porto 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, while United secured a 4-0 victory over Sabah on Thursday.
Asked about the difference in recovery time, Maresca said such situations are part of football and that teams must learn to deal with them.
“Sometimes it happens in football. I don’t have any doubt that Man United are going to be ready for that. It just matters to adapt,” Maresca told the BBC.
The Italian manager noted that City had experienced a similar situation last season before facing Arsenal, adding that fixture congestion can affect different clubs at different points of a campaign.
“I think that happens and you need to adapt. It happened last year with us, this season with them, next season it will happen with a different team.”
When asked how United manager Michael Carrick might feel about his team having less recovery time before the derby, Maresca replied: “That’s a question for Michael.
“The only thing I can say is it happened and you need to adapt.”
City encountered a comparable situation last September when they played Napoli in the Champions League on a Thursday before taking on Arsenal just two days later.
The expanded Champions League format has also increased the workload for clubs, with teams having two additional group-phase fixtures to play before the end of January.
City are also scheduled to face Norwich in the Carabao Cup next Thursday, while United will host Brighton at Old Trafford the previous day.
Sunday’s match will be Maresca’s first Manchester derby since taking over from Pep Guardiola at City. He has made a perfect start to his Premier League tenure, winning all three of his opening league matches.
United, meanwhile, have picked up four points from their first three league games.
“It is very important for different reasons,” Maresca said of the derby.
“We know how important a derby is, especially here. It is a special game. The most important thing we can do is try to be ourselves and then we see the final result.”
Source: BBC
