Manchester City Begin European Campaign Away At Porto

Manchester City begin their 2026/27 UEFA Champions League campaign tonight with an away fixture against FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragão, as Pep Guardiola’s side start another attempt to conquer Europe. The match is scheduled for 20:00 UK time, with the Champions League league phase beginning across Europe on September 8. City head into the fixture with plenty of attacking quality available. UEFA’s predicted line-up has Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, with Marc Guéhi and Rúben Dias among the defensive options, while Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland could lead the attacking threat. There are, however, some selection concerns. Jérémy Doku is unavailable because of a calf problem, while Nico O’Reilly is considered doubtful with a back issue. Guardiola will therefore have to manage his squad carefully as City begin what is expected to be another demanding European campaign. Porto bring enormous Champions League experience of their own. This season marks their 28th appearance in the competition’s group stage or league phase, placing them behind only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich for appearances at this stage. The Portuguese side will nevertheless be missing several players. Jan Bednarek is suspended, while Victor Froholdt, Oskar Pietuszewski, Samu and Zaidu Sanusi are all listed as unavailable. Porto are still expected to field a competitive side featuring Diogo Costa, Gabri Veiga and Pepê. For City, this is the first step in a long Champions League league phase that will run until January. The new campaign begins in one of Europe’s most atmospheric stadiums, and a positive result in Portugal would immediately give Guardiola’s side momentum.