Enzo Maresca has promised to rotate as Manchester City face Porto in their opening match of the Champions League campaign.

City kept their perfect league record intact as they edged past Coventry last time out, winning 1-0 thanks to a customary goal from Erling Haaland, and Maresca is expected to ring the changes as the club’s European campaign gets underway.

The Coventry match turned up a pair of injury concerns. Nico O’Reilly was due to start the match but dropped out of the starting lineup having sustained a lower back issue in warm-ups, with Enzo Fernandez called in to replace him. Deadline Day signing Iliman Ndiaye then came off with an apparent knock, joining fellow winger Jeremy Doku on the treatment table.

Maresca had already promised to make changes at the Estadio Do Dragao, however. Speaking after sinking Coventry, he told reporters: “We saw today with Ayyoub [Bouaddi], [Ryan] McAidoo, 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.”

It remains to be seen whether Ndiaye will be fit to feature in Porto. He has been pictured in training, though, suggesting he is clear to play. Should that prove to be the case, he will line up on the left flank, with Antoine Semenyo making way for McAidoo on the opposite side and Enzo Fernandez in as a No10.

Ayyoub Bouaddi will partner Elliot Anderson at the base of midfield, in front of what should be an unchanged back four comprising Josko Gvardiol, Marc Guehi, Ruben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov. Matheus Nunes has been named to the travelling squad, and could also feature.

Maresca has made clear Haaland will need to be rotated in and out of the squad over the coming weeks as City compete on four fronts, but the prolific Norwegian will likely lead the line in Portugal anyway.

Man City predicted XI vs Porto (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Gvardiol, Guehi, Dias, Khusanov; Bouaddi, Anderson; Ndiaye, Fernandez, McAidoo; Haaland

Date and time: 8pm BST on Tuesday, September 8, 2026

How to watch: TNT Sports