Manchester City open their Champions League campaign at Porto on Tuesday, with Enzo Maresca taking charge of a European fixture for the club for the first time.
City arrive on the back of three straight Premier League wins, though a three-day turnaround before Sunday’s Manchester derby is likely to shape his selection.
Porto have never beaten City in a competitive meeting, but their unbeaten start to the season and vociferous home support make the Estádio do Dragão an awkward opening assignment.
Manchester City team news
Nico O’Reilly is a serious doubt for Tuesday’s trip to Portugal after suffering a back injury in the warm-up before Saturday’s win over Coventry City, forcing Enzo Fernandez into an unplanned full debut. Jeremy Doku remains sidelined with the calf problem that has kept him out of City’s opening three Premier League fixtures.
Iliman Ndiaye was withdrawn in the 87th minute of his own debut with cramp, though the issue is not considered serious and he should be available for selection. With O’Reilly a doubt and Doku out, Maresca’s options in wide areas are reduced to Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo.
Enzo Fernandez, City’s club-record £125m signing from Chelsea, played 76 minutes on his full debut against Coventry and is available again, though Maresca could revert to using him from the bench given the quick turnaround before Sunday’s derby against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Ayyoub Bouaddi, who arrives with Champions League experience from his time at Lille, is in contention to start in a rotated midfield alongside Elliot Anderson. Maresca also has options at full-back, with Matheus Nunes and Rayan Ait-Nouri poised to replace Abdukodir Khusanov and Josko Gvardiol, who started the weekend win over Coventry.
Manchester City predicted lineup
Manchester City possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Dias, Ait-Nouri; Anderson, Bouaddi; Semenyo, Cherki, Foden; Haaland
When will the match kick off?
The Champions League match kicks off at 20:00 BST on Tuesday, 8 September 2026.
How to watch Porto vs Manchester City?
The match will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video in the UK, with radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.
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