Manchester City kick off their Champions League campaign in Portugal tonight with a testing opener against FC Porto.
The home side have started their season in fine style with five wins from five, while City have picked up three successive Premier League wins since losing the Community Shield to Arsenal.
Enzo Maresca may look to tinker his XI with the Manchester derby on the horizon, but he is unlikely to make wholesale alterations given the importance of trying to start the European campaign with a positive result.
Gianluigi Donnarumma will start in goal as undisputed number one and perhaps the only alteration in the back four could be Matheus Nunes coming in at right back, with the Portugal international now fully fit after an ankle injury. That would leave Josko Gvardiol at left back with Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi as the central defence pairing.
Record signing Enzo Fernandez went straight into the side against Coventry City but Maresca hadn’t planned to start the £125million man and he may drop to the bench tonight to allow rotation in midfield. Ayyoub Bouaddi might have eyes on his first City start since his £81m move from Lille but Mateo Kovacic’s experience might be preferred. Elliot Anderson was outstanding against Coventry and will keep his place.
It feels difficult to leave Rayan Cherki out at the moment so he could start as the number 10 and Phil Foden might be afforded a start on the left in place of Iliman Ndiaye. Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland would complete the XI.
Predicted City XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Anderson, Cherki; Semenyo, Foden, Haaland.
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