Manchester United will bid to put their sticky start to the 2025/26 Premier League season behind them when they return to action after the international break.
Although the Red Devils have picked up four points from their first three matches, their overall performances have been unconvincing.
The fixture list has not been kind to United, with their next two games pitching them against Manchester City (A) and Chelsea (H).
However, their hopes of recording positive results in those matches may be helped by their opponents’ involvement in the Champions League.
Man City and Chelsea are both prominent in the outright betting to win the competition and will be eager to make a fast start in the league phase.
The latest odds for Champions League winners rate Man City as 9/1 shots to lift the trophy, while Chelsea are priced at 12/1 to emerge victorious.
United are scheduled to visit their local rivals on September 14, four days before City kick off their Champions League campaign at home to Napoli.
Pep Guardiola’s side have had a mixed start to the season, collecting just three points from their first three matches in the Premier League.
They were superb on the opening weekend at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but have subsequently slipped to defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion.
While they will be eager to bounce back against United, their Champions League opener against Napoli could prove to be an unwelcome distraction.
Guardiola will be eager to ensure his key players are fit for the Napoli game, and he may decide to rotate his squad against United.
The Spaniard is unlikely to take the Manchester derby lightly, but the proximity of the Napoli fixture could give United a useful advantage at the Etihad Stadium.
They may also benefit the following weekend when they head south to take on Club World Cup winners Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues start their Champions League campaign at Bayern Munich on September, before facing United in the league just three days later.
The Red Devils took just one point from their two meetings with Chelsea last season, but will hope to capitalise on any fatigue in the home ranks.
Chelsea have won one of their previous five Champions League fixtures against Bayern and will be focused on improving that record at the Allianz Arena.
Having failed to qualify for European competitions this season, tiredness should not be a factor for United in any league matches.
If United can navigate the fixtures against Man City and Chelsea without losing, they will have established a solid platform to work from for the rest of the season.
Subsequent games against Brentford (A) and Sunderland (H) are both winnable, which could put United in a handy position when they visit Liverpool in October.
Having spent more than £200 million on new players during the summer transfer window, the Red Devils desperately need to start heading in the right direction this season.
Missing out on European qualification could work in their favour, allowing them to steal march on rival clubs who face an abundance of fixtures.
United’s exit from the League Cup against Grimsby Town may also be a Godsend, although the embarrassment of that result will not diminish.
Manager Ruben Amorim cannot afford to waste the chance to exploit any weaknesses in opposing teams, starting with those blockbuster fixtures against Man City and Chelsea.
