Manchester City begin their 2026-27 Champions League campaign at Porto on Tuesday, the first night of the new league phase and a landmark occasion for Enzo Maresca, who takes charge of a Champions League match for City for the first time since succeeding Pep Guardiola.
Both sides arrive with perfect domestic records, setting up the fifth competitive meeting between two clubs who have never previously finished on the losing side against each other. Porto return to the Champions League proper for the first time since 2023-24 having reclaimed the Primeira Liga title last season, and they arrive full of confidence after seven straight wins in all competitions.
City, by contrast, head to Portugal having laboured to a narrow 1-0 win over Coventry City at the weekend, a game in which club-record £125m signing Enzo Fernandez was thrust into the starting XI earlier than planned following an injury to Nico O’Reilly. Maresca’s side have won all three Premier League matches so far this season, though their away form in Europe has been notably shakier than their home record.
Porto vs Manchester City – Match preview and team news
Date: Tuesday, 8 September 2026
Kick-off: 20:00 BST
Venue: Estádio do Dragão, Porto
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)
Last meeting: Porto 0-0 Manchester City, 1 December 2020, Champions League (Group Stage)
Team news
Porto
Jan Bednarek serves a one-match ban having been sent off in last season’s Europa League quarter-final defeat to Nottingham Forest, meaning Nehuen Perez is set to partner Jakub Kiwior in central defence. Victor Froholdt, who was knocked unconscious and hospitalised during last weekend’s win over Moreirense, remains sidelined along with Vasco Sousa, Oskar Pietuszewski, Gabriel Mec, Zaidu Sanusi and Samu Aghehowa. Diogo Costa continues in goal behind a defence that has conceded only once in six matches this season.
Manchester City
Enzo Maresca faces a doubt over Nico O’Reilly, who picked up a back injury in the warm-up before Saturday’s win over Coventry City, while Jeremy Doku remains out with a calf problem. Iliman Ndiaye was forced off late on his debut with cramp but should be available. With a Manchester derby to follow at the weekend, Maresca is expected to make several changes, potentially including recalls for Phil Foden and Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Form
Porto
Francesco Farioli’s side have won all seven matches they have played this season across two competitions, scoring 12 goals and conceding just once, and they head into their first Champions League fixture since 2023-24 full of confidence. Their five-match Primeira Liga winning run has come against Alverca, Rio Ave, Arouca, Viseu and Moreirense, though none of those tests compare to facing a side of Manchester City’s calibre. Porto have never beaten City in a competitive fixture, losing three of four previous meetings and drawing the other.
Manchester City
Manchester City have made a perfect start under Enzo Maresca, taking maximum points from matches against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Coventry City. Erling Haaland’s goal against Coventry took him to 300 career goals and moved him clear of Sergio Aguero in City’s own scoring charts, though City needed Gianluigi Donnarumma to preserve their first clean sheet of the season. Their away record in the Champions League has been inconsistent of late, with just two wins from their last nine matches on the road in the competition.
Predicted lineups
Porto predicted XI (4-3-3): D. Costa; A. Costa, Perez, Kiwior, Moura; Fofana, Rosario, Veiga; Gomes, Silva, Pepe
Manchester City predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Guehi, Dias, Ait-Nouri; Anderson, Bouaddi; Semenyo, Cherki, Foden; Haaland
How to watch Porto vs Manchester City?
The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Amazon Prime Video, with radio commentary available on BBC Radio 5 Live.
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