‘Adapt to fixture schedule’ — Maresca tells Man Utd

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Maresca (Photo by May JAMES / AFP)

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By Adegboyega Adeleye

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

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City have two extra days to recover and prepare for the derby after beating Porto 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, while United thrashed Sabah 4-0 on Thursday.

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Asked about the scheduling advantage, Maresca pointed to a similar situation City faced last season before their game against Arsenal.

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“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.

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The Italian added: “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.”

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Asked how United manager Michael Carrick might feel about having less recovery time, Maresca said: “That’s a question for Michael.

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“The only thing I can say is it happened and you need to adapt.”

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City faced a similar situation last September when they played Napoli in the Champions League on a Thursday before facing Arsenal two days later.

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The expanded Champions League schedule has increased the fixture burden on clubs, with teams playing two additional group-phase matches before the end of January.

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City will also face Norwich in the Carabao Cup next Thursday, while United play Brighton at Old Trafford the previous day.

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Maresca will take charge of his first Manchester derby since replacing Pep Guardiola and has made a perfect start to his Premier League tenure, winning all three games.

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United, meanwhile, have collected four points from their opening three league matches.

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“It is very important for different reasons,” Maresca said of the derby.

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“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.”

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