Man United in Trouble? Why Man City Will Be Fresher for Sunday's Derby

Manchester City have been handed a small but important advantage over Manchester United ahead of the first Manchester derby of the season on Sunday, September 13 at Old Trafford.

The advantage comes from the Champions League schedule. City will play on Tuesday night away to Porto in Portugal, while United will only play on Thursday night at home against Sabah Baku, who are debutants in the competition.

That means by the time Sunday comes, City will have had five days to recover, prepare and travel, while United will have had only three days after their European game.

City go into the derby in top form. Enzo Maresca's side has won all three of their opening Premier League games against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Coventry and sit top of the table with nine points.

United, under Michael Carrick, have had a mixed start. They lost to Hull City on opening day, beat Ipswich Town, and drew with Everton, collecting only four points from nine.

In the last Manchester derby at Old Trafford, Carrick beat Pep Guardiola, and he will be hoping to repeat that against Maresca who will be taking charge of his first Manchester derby as City boss.

While 48 hours may not look like a big gap, at this level, extra recovery and tactical preparation can make a big difference in such a high-intensity game.