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,”
“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.