Maresca dismisses United's 48-hour disadvantage ahead of Old Trafford derby

Enzo Maresca has shrugged off Manchester United’s 48-hour preparation disadvantage heading into Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford, insisting the Red Devils “are going to be ready” despite the compressed turnaround.

City won 2-0 at Porto on Tuesday before United beat Sabah 4-0 on Thursday, leaving Michael Carrick’s side with less than 73 hours to recover and prepare. Both clubs arrive at the fixture having opened their Champions League campaigns with victories.

Maresca drew on a near-identical scenario from last season to contextualise the situation. City had faced Napoli on a Thursday before travelling to Arsenal on the Sunday, a game that ended 1-1 after Gabriel Martinelli equalised in injury time — with Pep Guardiola famously joking he was sending his players “hiking in the mountains” to prepare.

“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 pressed on how Carrick might manage his squad through the short turnaround, Maresca kept his counsel. “That’s a question for Michael. The only thing I can say is it happened and you need to adapt.”

City arrive at Old Trafford with a perfect record through three games. It was at the same ground last season that they suffered a 2-0 defeat in the first match of the Carrick era, a result that will sharpen the visitors’ focus.

United, meanwhile, head into the fixture with defensive questions unresolved. Ainsley Maitland-Niles denied them a win at Everton with a stoppage-time strike, the third successive game in which the Red Devils have conceded twice.

Carrick acknowledged the scale of the task. “We know we have to put in a really good performance and do a lot of good things to get the result we want,” he said.