1 week ago
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Will Maresca rotate?
I'm interested to see how Manchester City line-up tonight.
Enzo Maresca almost hinted at giving Erling Haaland a little rest due to his fatherhood, but after just three games in the season, you feel as though Haaland should be OK to start.
When it comes to the midfield, though... jeez, it's anybody's guess.
City have just thrown a serious amount of money at that section of the pitch, and it's pot luck when guessing which of the new faces will get a start.
But anyway, it feels as though Maresca will at least make some changes to the side that beat Coventry.
We will find out who in just a moment.
Maresca: 'This is a hard place to come'
Enzo Maresca, Manchester City boss, speaking ahead of the game:
I know that Porto is very good in set pieces. I think it has become part of the game now so we need to do our best, defend in the right way, score goals as much as we can from set pieces because it’s part of the game and you need to be perfect because all teams are prepared for that.
Can City continue strong start to season?
This could be a very fun season for Manchester City.
There has been so much change at the club that absolutely nobody knows how their campaign is going to go. I mean, they have won three out of three in the Premier League, which is a pretty damn good start.
They have also shown various styles and styles since the start of this term, and boy, it's been fun to watch. Goals, excitement, drama... well, until that third game against Coventry.
With how unpredictable the Champions League can be, it feels like a competition that fits them perfectly. It can either go brilliantly for them and they go far, or they could have a disastrous early crash-out.
Either way, it could be interesting to watch.
What we do know is that they have a ridiculously hard league phase, with some cracking but difficult fixtures.
You feel they NEED to get off to a good start.
What's in store?
It's the Champions League group phase in the new era, so you know what that means.
Yep, an absolutely silly but glorious amount of football.
We have three days straight of Champions League footie coming tonight, and boy, are there some tasty clashes.
Here are the fixtures in line for tonight:
- AEK Athens 1-0 LASK (latest)
- Club Brugge 1-3 Aston Villa (latest)
- Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal, 20:00 GMT
- Porto vs Manchester City, 20:00 GMT
- Lille vs Real Betis, 20:00 GMT
- Real Madrid vs Inter Milan, 20:00 GMT
Duel at the Dragao
'Du du du du du du du du...'
Can you hear that? Just listen... if you concentrate hard enough, you may well be able to hear the faint sound of an operatic orchestra producing one of the most iconic anthems in our sport.
Yep, that's right: football's greatest club competition has returned, and I genuinely couldn't be more excited about it.
The Champions League really is the best. There are almost always heaps of goals, entertainment and drama that no other tournament can provide.
Now, I know what you are going to say, it has technically already started with Aston Villa's clash away at Club Brugge, and you'd be right. However, our full coverage begins NOW.
We start in Portugal as Manchester City go back to a venue that has very much haunted them in the past.
Enzo Maresca's men take on Porto at Estadio do Dragao, the stadium where they suffered Champions League final heartbreak against Chelsea in 2021.
They will be desperate to banish the ghosts of that final against Porto, in what is sure to be a tasty affair.
So, without further ado, let's get crackalacking.
