Man City vs Man Utd U21 derby postponed due to UEFA Youth League fixture clash

Saturday evening’s Premier League 2 Under-21 derby between Manchester City and Manchester United has been postponed, with the two clubs’ senior sides still set to meet at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

The U21 fixture had been scheduled for 7pm at the Joie Stadium — also known as the City Football Academy — but was called off because United’s youth team faced Sabah FC in the UEFA Youth League on Thursday, leaving insufficient recovery time for the young Red Devils ahead of a weekend fixture.

United confirmed the postponement in a brief statement on Saturday morning. “Manchester United Under-21s’ derby match against Manchester City has been postponed,” it read. “The Premier League 2 fixture was due to take place on Saturday evening (12 September) at the City Football Academy. A new date for the match will be confirmed in due course.”

The UEFA Youth League, which mirrors the Champions League format with six league phase fixtures rather than eight, was the direct cause of the scheduling conflict. United’s U21 side beat Sabah FC 5-0 at Leigh Sports Village on Thursday, while City’s academy team lost 3-1 at Porto on Tuesday — the same evening the senior side won 2-0 in the same city.

The 48-hour turnaround between United’s Thursday fixture and Saturday’s scheduled derby was deemed too short for the squad to recover adequately. A rescheduled date has yet to be announced.

The postponement adds a minor footnote to a weekend already dominated by the senior Manchester derby. City manager Enzo Maresca, whose side have won every match under his charge this season, acknowledged that United’s condensed schedule could affect Sunday’s first-team fixture too — though he was measured in his assessment.

“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. “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.”

When asked how United manager Michael Carrick might manage his squad with less than 73 hours between fixtures, Maresca deflected: “That’s a question for Michael. The only thing I can say is it happened and you need to adapt.”