EPL: Man United must adapt to fixture schedule — Maresca

Manchester City’s manager Enzo Maresca takes part in a press conference ahead of the friendly football match against Inter Milan for the Asahi Super Dry Trophy at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on July 31, 2026. (Photo by May JAMES / AFP)

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has told Manchester United they must “adapt” to the fixture schedule ahead of Sunday’s Premier League derby.

City go into the derby with two additional days of rest after beating Porto 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, while United secured a 4-0 victory over Sabah on Thursday.

The difference means Michael Carrick’s side have less time to recover and prepare for the Manchester derby, but Maresca said such situations are part of football.

“To be honest, the club mentioned to me that it happened exactly the same last year when the club played Napoli and then, after two days, played Arsenal,” Maresca told BBC Sport on Friday.

“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 pointed to a similar situation City experienced last September ahead of their meeting with Arsenal. Arsenal played Athletic Club in the early kick-off on Tuesday before City faced Napoli in the 20:00 BST game on Thursday.

Former City manager Pep Guardiola joked at the time that he would take his players “hiking in the mountains” to prepare for the demanding fixture.

With the expanded Champions League increasing the number of matches before the end of January, and English clubs also competing in the Carabao Cup, Maresca acknowledged the challenges posed by the congested calendar.

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“I think that happens and you need to adapt,” he said when asked whether the scheduling would eventually balance itself out.

“It happened last year with us, this season with them, next season it will happen with a different team.”

Asked how United manager Michael Carrick might be feeling about the situation, Maresca said: “That’s a question for Michael. The only thing I can say is it happened, and you need to adapt.”

The Manchester derby will be Maresca’s first in charge of City, with the Italian having made an impressive start to his tenure.

City have won all three of their Premier League matches this season, while United have collected four points from their opening three games.

Maresca said he was aware of the importance of the derby but insisted City’s focus would be on maintaining their identity.

“It is very important for different reasons,” he said. “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.”