FC Porto welcome Manchester City to the Estádio do Dragão on Tuesday night as the Champions League league phase gets underway.
Both sides have made perfect starts to the new season, so something has to give in Porto.
Porto have won all six of their competitive games this season and have conceded just once. Francesco Farioli’s side also return to the Champions League after missing out on the competition for the last two seasons.
Man City have also won their opening three Premier League games under Enzo Maresca. They have already scored seven goals, with Erling Haaland finding the net in each of their last two matches.
This will be a much tougher test for both sides, though. The Estádio do Dragão is never an easy place to visit, while City will be keen to make a strong start to their first Champions League campaign without Pep Guardiola.
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What are the best picks for FC Porto vs Manchester City?
Manchester City to win
City head into this game as the favourites and have made a perfect start to life under Maresca.
They beat Bournemouth 2-1 before putting four past Crystal Palace. They then edged Coventry City 1-0 on Saturday, with Haaland scoring the only goal.
The result against Coventry was not City’s best performance, but they still found a way to win.
That is something they will need in Porto.
The hosts have been excellent so far this season and have conceded only once. However, City have a huge amount of attacking quality and should create more chances than any of Porto’s domestic opponents have managed.
City have also never lost to Porto in four previous competitive meetings. They won 3-1 in Manchester in 2020 before drawing 0-0 in Portugal. They also won both meetings in the 2012 Europa League.
It could be a difficult night, but City should have enough to take all three points.
Erling Haaland to score
Haaland looks a strong option to find the net again.
The Norwegian has already scored in City’s last two games, including both goals in the 4-1 win over Crystal Palace.
He then headed home the winner against Coventry to reach 300 career goals.
City have plenty of players capable of creating chances for their striker. Rayan Cherki has already made an impressive start, while the arrival of Enzo Fernández gives Maresca another option in midfield.
Haaland also has an excellent Champions League record. He has scored 34 goals in 39 Champions League appearances for City and is now just two goals behind Sergio Agüero’s club record.
Porto have been very difficult to break down so far, but they haven’t faced Haaland yet.
Both teams to score
This could be a much closer game than the recent results suggest.
Porto have kept five consecutive clean sheets in the Portuguese league, but they have not faced an attacking unit of City’s quality.
The hosts have also scored in every competitive game this season. Their latest win saw them beat Moreirense 2-1, while they have scored 11 goals in their five league matches.
City have shown some defensive vulnerability of their own. They conceded against Bournemouth and allowed Arsenal a host of chances in the Community Shield.
The Champions League is a different challenge for both sides, but Porto have enough attacking quality to cause problems at home.
Where can I watch FC Porto vs Manchester City?
FC Porto vs Manchester City kicks off at 8:00 PM BST on Tuesday, September 8 at the Estádio do Dragão.
The game will be shown live in the UK on Amazon Prime Video.
For viewers in the United States, the match will be available on Paramount+ and ViX.
What have the managers said?
Francesco Farioli
Farioli knows City will provide a huge test, but he has no plans to change Porto’s approach.
“It’s a mountain to climb, but we are FC Porto.”
The Porto boss also insists his side will stick to their identity against one of the Champions League favourites.
“We’re not going to change our DNA or our nature.”
Enzo Maresca
Maresca has hinted at some rotation with City facing a busy run of fixtures.
However, his focus is firmly on Tuesday’s game.
“The first game is on Tuesday. The focus will be on that and then we focus on the next one.”
He also admitted Haaland will need to be managed during the season.
“We need to protect Erling because the season is very long and he’s going to have games where he needs to recover.”
What is FC Porto’s predicted team?
(4-3-3) Diogo Costa — Alberto Costa, Nehuén Pérez, Jakub Kiwior, Francisco Moura — Victor Froholdt, Pablo Rosario, Gabri Veiga — William Gomes, André Silva, Pepê.
Injured: Sanusi, Pietuszewski, Vasco Sousa, Samu Aghehowa.
Suspended: Jan Bednarek.
What is Manchester City’s predicted team?
(4-1-4-1) Gianluigi Donnarumma — Abdukodir Khusanov, Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi, Josko Gvardiol — Elliot Anderson — Iliman Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki, Enzo Fernández, Antoine Semenyo — Erling Haaland.
Injured: Nico O’Reilly, Jérémy Doku.
Score prediction: FC Porto 1-2 Manchester City
This should be a much tougher game for City than their opening Premier League fixtures.
Porto have won every competitive game this season and have been extremely solid defensively. The atmosphere at the Estádio do Dragão could also make life uncomfortable for Maresca’s side.
However, City have more quality in the final third and Haaland is already in excellent form.
Porto should make City work for it, but the visitors can start their Champions League campaign with a win.
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