Manchester City begin their Champions League campaign away to Porto tonight, with Enzo Maresca preparing to rotate his side at the Estádio do Dragão.
City arrive in Portugal with a perfect Premier League record after beating Coventry City 1-0, with Erling Haaland once again providing the decisive goal.
However, Maresca has already confirmed that several younger members of his squad will be given opportunities as City begin the league phase.
Maresca confirms Champions League changes
Ayyoub Bouaddi and Ryan McAidoo are both expected to start after Maresca publicly confirmed his intention to give them Champions League minutes.
“Iliman Ndiaye, they haven’t played in Champions League but they need to start, so on Tuesday they are going to start to get minutes in the Champions League,” Maresca said when discussing Bouaddi, McAidoo and Ndiaye.
Ndiaye's involvement had initially been uncertain after he was forced off against Coventry with an apparent knock.
The winger has since been pictured in training and could therefore retain his place, potentially starting from the left.
Deadline Day signing Enzo Fernández is also expected to start after making his City debut against Coventry. He could operate as the No10, with Bouaddi and Elliot Anderson forming the midfield partnership behind him.
City dealing with injury concerns
Nico O’Reilly is unavailable after suffering a lower-back problem during the warm-up against Coventry.
The midfielder had originally been named in the starting XI before Fernández replaced him at short notice. O’Reilly is expected to return for Sunday's Manchester derby against Manchester United.
Jeremy Doku also remains sidelined, while there is greater optimism surrounding Ndiaye.
Matheus Nunes has travelled to Portugal after recovering from an ankle injury and could be involved.
Maresca could keep his defence unchanged, with Josko Gvardiol, Marc Guehi, Ruben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov protecting Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Haaland expected to lead the attack
Maresca has acknowledged that Haaland will need to be managed carefully as City compete across four competitions.
That rotation is unlikely to begin in Porto.
The Norwegian is expected to lead the line as City look to make a winning start to their latest Champions League campaign.
With Bouaddi, McAidoo and potentially Ndiaye starting around him, however, the team behind Haaland could look significantly different.
Predicted Manchester City XI
4-2-3-1: Donnarumma; Gvardiol, Guehi, Dias, Khusanov; Bouaddi, Anderson; Ndiaye, Fernández, McAidoo; Haaland.
Key Points
- Enzo Maresca is expected to rotate Manchester City's team against Porto.
- Ayyoub Bouaddi and Ryan McAidoo are set for Champions League opportunities, while Iliman Ndiaye could also start if fully fit.
- Nico O’Reilly and Jeremy Doku are unavailable, but Matheus Nunes has returned to fitness.
- Erling Haaland is still expected to lead the attack despite Maresca planning to manage his minutes this season.
What’s Next?
Manchester City face Porto at the Estádio do Dragão at 8pm BST on Tuesday, September 8 as they begin their Champions League league-phase campaign.
Attention will then quickly turn back to the Premier League, with City travelling to Old Trafford for the Manchester derby on Sunday.
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