Porto face Manchester City in Champions League battle at the Dragao

Maresca begins Champions League journey with City

Enzo Maresca will take charge of Manchester City in the Champions League for the first time on Tuesday when the Premier League champions travel to Porto.

It marks a new chapter for City, who have not entered a Champions League campaign without Pep Guardiola at the helm since the 2015-16 season.

Maresca already has European success on his CV after guiding Chelsea to Conference League glory in 2024-25. He also oversaw six Champions League matches during his spell in charge of the Blues, recording three wins, one draw and two defeats.

One of those victories was a memorable 3-0 win over Barcelona, but City now face a very different challenge against a Porto side returning to Europe’s elite.

Manchester City respond strongly after Community Shield defeat

City suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield but quickly recovered by winning their first three Premier League matches.

Maresca’s side beat Bournemouth and Crystal Palace before edging newly promoted Coventry City 1-0 on Saturday.

Erling Haaland scored his 300th career goal against Coventry, while also breaking Sergio Aguero’s Manchester City scoring record.

City needed goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to produce an important performance, however, as Coventry created several opportunities before eventually being beaten.

The victory gave City their first clean sheet of the season, but their away record in the Champions League remains a concern. They have won only two of their last nine away matches in the competition while suffering six defeats.

Porto return to Europe’s elite

Porto are back in the Champions League after a two-year absence and will play their first match in the competition since the 2023-24 season.

The Portuguese giants reached the last 16 that year before losing to Arsenal on penalties.

They subsequently endured disappointing Europa League campaigns, losing to Roma in the 2024-25 knockout round playoffs before being eliminated by Nottingham Forest in last season’s quarter-finals.

Winning the Primeira Liga title in 2025-26 secured their return to Europe’s top competition.

Farioli’s side have made perfect start

Porto have given Francesco Farioli plenty of encouragement ahead of their European return.

After beating Torreense 1-0 in the Portuguese Super Cup, Porto won all five of their opening Primeira Liga matches.

They scored 11 goals across those games and conceded just once, beating Alverca, Rio Ave, Arouca, Viseu and Moreirense.

Tuesday’s fixture will provide a much tougher examination, though, as Porto face one of the most talented squads in European football.

The Dragons have also struggled against City historically. Porto have never beaten the English side in competitive football, losing three of their previous four meetings.

Their only positive result came in a goalless Champions League draw in December 2020.

City suffer injury blow ahead of Porto trip

Manchester City will be without Nico O’Reilly after the midfielder suffered a back injury during the warm-up against Coventry.

Maresca initially played down the seriousness of the problem, but O’Reilly did not travel with the squad to Portugal.

Jeremy Doku is also unavailable because of a calf problem.

Iliman Ndiaye is another player whose fitness will be monitored after he was forced off late in his debut against Coventry. The forward later said he had only suffered cramp, although Phil Foden remains an option if Ndiaye is unable to start.

Porto face defensive absences

Porto will also have to make changes to their team.

Jan Bednarek is suspended after being sent off during last season’s Europa League quarter-final defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Nehuen Perez is expected to replace him alongside former Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior.

Midfielder Victor Froholdt is another notable absentee after being knocked unconscious during Porto’s win over Moreirense.

Although the 20-year-old has since recovered, he will not feature against City.

Vasco Sousa, Oskar Pietuszewski, Gabriel Mec, Zaidu Sanusi and Samu Aghehowa are also unavailable through injury.

Porto and City face early European test

Both teams have enjoyed perfect starts to their domestic seasons, but only one can maintain that momentum in the Champions League.

Porto will have the advantage of playing at the Dragao, where the atmosphere could make life difficult for Maresca’s players.

City, however, possess considerably more Champions League experience and attacking quality, particularly with Haaland leading the line.

Porto’s defensive absences could also prove costly against a Manchester City attack capable of punishing even the smallest mistake.

Prediction: Porto 1-2 Manchester City

Porto’s excellent start makes this a potentially difficult night for City, but Farioli’s team have yet to face a genuine European heavyweight this season.

The absence of Bednarek and Froholdt further weakens the hosts, while City’s attacking options should eventually make the difference.

Maresca’s side may not dominate throughout, but they should have enough quality to leave Portugal with three points.