The waiting is almost over! Opta's supercomputer makes City the favourites for victory in this tasty opening match in the competition, at 56.1%. Porto's chances of claiming three points are rated at 19.9%, with a draw at 24%. All will soon be revealed as the teams enter the field.
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Maresca also makes three changes from last time out. Nunes gets the nod ahead of Khusanov at right-back, while Bouaddi makes his European bow for the club alongside Fernandez - for whom that is also the case - in the middle of the park. The other change comes on the wing, with Foden preferred to Ndiaye, who takes his place alongside Anderson on the bench. Jeremy Doku and Nico O'Reilly miss out through injury.
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Farioli makes three changes to the Porto side that beat Moreirense 2-1 on Friday. Two of them come in defence as Perez replaces the suspended Jan Bednarek, while Fernandes is preferred to Moura at left-back. Varela also comes into the middle of the park, as Victor Froholdt misses out with concussion after he was substituted on Friday. Silva makes his second European debut for Porto, nine years after his most recent appearance for them in the competition. Samu Aghehowa, Zaidu Sanusi and Oskar Pietuszewski are absent through injury.
MAN CITY (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, Josko Gvardiol; Ayyoub Bouaddi, Enzo Fernandez; Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden; Erling Haaland.
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SUBS: Claudio Ramos, Joao Costa, Luis Gomes, Souza, Francisco Moura, Joao Teixeira, Seko Fofana, Tiago Silva, Hwang In-Beom, Borja Sainz, Santiago Gimenez, Duarte Cunha.
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PORTO (4-3-3): Diogo Costa; Alberto Costa, Nehuen Perez, Jakub Kiwior, Martim Fernandes; Pablo Rosario, Alan Varela, Gabri Veiga; William Gomes, Andre Silva, Pepe.
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Meanwhile, Man City are making their 16th successive appearance at European club football's top table. Today marks their 150th game on the continent. They hit the landmark under Enzo Maresca, who becomes only the fourth different coach to take charge of the Citizens in this competition. Each of the previous three - Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola - all avoided defeat in their opening match. Maresca does have European pedigree, mind. A two-time UEFA Cup winner as a player, he also masterminded Chelsea's Conference League triumph two seasons ago. The Italian is hoping to inspire a change in recent fortunes on the continent for City. Despite lifting the trophy in 2023, they have lost nine of their last 17 matches in the competition, and bowed out in the round of 16 at the hands of Real Madrid last term. Nevertheless, like Porto, they have a perfect start to the domestic season to build on, with three wins from three in the Premier League thus far.
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Porto are back in the Champions League proper! Two-time winners, only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich have appeared in the group/league phase more often. Incredibly, though, this is their first appearance for three years. They are back after reclaiming their Primeira Liga crown last season, while they also reached the Europa League quarter-finals. Francesco Farioli becomes the 18th different coach to take charge of Porto in the Champions League. His side have momentum, too, having come flying out of the blocks in the Primeira Liga this term, winning all five matches and conceding just a single goal.
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The Champions League is back! Hello everyone and a very warm welcome to live text coverage as the 2026-27 competition kicks off. We're at Estadio Do Dragao, where Portuguese champions Porto welcome joint Premier League leaders Manchester City.
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Szymon Marciniak, the man who oversaw City's greatest night in this competition three years ago, is the man in the middle again today. The Polish referee blows his whistle, and the visitors begin life in the Champions League under Maresca.
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The anticipation grows among the home fans as their team charge forward down the right flank. However, their attack comes to nothing following a stray pass, with City awarded a free-kick after Costa barges into Gvardiol.
3'
When you think about Porto and the Champions League, your mind will likely wander to Jose Mourinho sprinting down the touchline at Old Trafford, after his side beat Manchester United in the round of 16 in 2003-04. Of course, the Dragoes went on to lift the trophy that season, inspired by the likes of Deco, Benni McCarthy and Tiago to name a few. They remain the last team from outside Europe's big five leagues to reach the final.
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Although City stayed perfect in the Premier League on Saturday, they were far from convincing during their 1-0 win over promoted Coventry City. Maresca's side are taking a little while to settle into their rhythm here.
7'
Gomes looks to threaten as he comes inside from Porto's right. The winger takes on Gvardiol, but his touch is a little heavy and trickles behind for a goal-kick.
8'
City look to work their way forward, until Cherki is dispossessed. The attacking midfielder felt he was fouled, but plays goes on. Porto look to quickly embark on a counter, though an attempted ball wide to Gomes is wayward and goes out for a throw.
10'
A milestone in the City defence today. Dias makes his 50th start for the club in the Champions League. The skipper is the eighth different City player to reach half a century.
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Guehi misses his sliding challenge as Gabri Veiga finds Pepe, before receiving the return pass in the penalty area. His shot from a tight angle is blocked by Donnarumma's foot, though the offside flag is subsequently raised anyway.
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Just after a quarter of an hour, we have our first shot of the game. It comes courtesy of Semenyo, who cuts inside and tries to bend one from distance. However, he doesn't quite execute it as intended, and Diogo Costa can easily gather.
16'
City have had most of the ball so far - three-quarters of the possession, in fact. However, Porto still look the more threatening of the two sides going forward.
18'
LOVELY PLAY AND A GREAT SAVE! It's a wonderful move at pace from City, as they quickly work the ball into a dangerous area. Semenyo it into Foden, who sits it up into the six-yard box. Haaland is lurking and meets the ball with his header, but Diogo Costa makes a brilliant reflex save to turn it away from goal.
21'
Hands down, that's the best chance of the game so far. Haaland has scored 34 goals for City in the Champions League since joining in 2022, with only Kylian Mbappe netting more in the competition during that time (37). The Norwegian is just three away from breaking Sergio Aguero's record of 36 Champions League goals for the Citizens.
23'
Porto come forward with Silva clipping the ball into the area. It's cushioned for the run of Gabri Veiga, but Guehi does well to divert it away with his outstretched leg. The offside flag goes up, regardless.
25'
CLOSE! Semenyo has space as he's found on the left, while his team-mates quickly work their way into the box. He swings the ball in and it's met by Haaland, but he can't keep his header down.
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CHANCE FOR FODEN! The City winger is well-found in the box. He's looking for the far corner with his first-time shot, but it's a little more central. That makes it slightly easier for Diogo Costa to get down and push it away.
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CHANCE FOR FODEN! The City winger is well-found in the box. He's looking for the far corner with his first-time shot, but it's a little more central. That makes it slightly easier for Diogo Costa to get down and push it away.
29'
DIOGO COSTA WITH A DOUBLE-SAVE! The Porto goalkeeper does superbly to keep out City twice in quick succession. First, he keeps out Haaland's first-time shot after a neat move, before beating away Cherki's low drive on the rebound.
32'
All of a sudden, City are firmly on top in this contest. They've flicked a switch and it's been wave after wave of attack on the Porto goal. The hosts are desperately trying to counter them by making their way up the field.
34'
It's been an interesting battle between Gomes and Gvardiol down their side. The City defender drags back his opponent, preventing him from setting off on the counter. The winger isn't happy and squares up to his counterpart. The referee is quickly over, though, to diffuse the situation, while showing Gvardiol the yellow card.
37'
Porto look to counter again, buoyed on by their fans. However, a pass intended for Pepe is wayward, and goes out for a throw.
39'
Ouch! There's a strong challenge in the air between Guehi and Gabri Veiga, with the latter coming off worse. Blood trickles from the head of the Porto midfielder, who was accidentally caught by his opponent's trailing arm. It's definitely not enough to warrant a VAR check for violent conduct, though. The positioning of Guehi's arm was natural.
42'
Gabri Veiga eventually returns to his feet, with his cut cleaned up by the medical team. He makes his way to the touchline, though it will be interesting to see if he continues in the game. If there are any signs of concussion, Porto won't take any chances.
45'
We're going to play a further three minutes at the end of this first half. Can either side find the game's opening goal before the break?
45'
Gomes looks for the far corner, as Porto attack in the final seconds of the half. His effort is wide in the end, though the offside flag goes up anyway.
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HALF-TIME: PORTO 0-0 MANCHESTER CITY
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Gvardiol must tread carefully. Already on a yellow card, he appears to push Andre Silva to the ground, preventing him taking a quick free-kick. The Porto forward did go down fairly easily, and the referee tells him to get up. He'll have an eye on Gvardiol, though.
45'
It remains a stalemate at Estadio do Dragao, where Porto and Manchester City are locked at 0-0. Overall, City have been the more dominant of the two sides, enjoying just under 70% of the possession. They have also carried the greater threat in front of goal, epitomised by their 1.25 xG to zero from Porto, who are still to register an attempt. Enzo Maresca's side have gone close to breaking the deadlock on several occasions, but found Diogo Costa in fine form. The Porto goalkeeper has made smart reflex saves to thwart Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki thus far.
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Despite a drop from the pre-match percentages, City remain favourites for victory with Opta's supercomputer, who rate their chances at 47.6%. The likelihood of a draw is now rated at 34.3%, with a Porto win at 18.2%. The hosts must improve up front, though, if they're to have any chance of claiming all three points.
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Goal Erling Haaland
47'
Assist Enzo Fernández
47'
Substitution Josko Gvardiol Abdukodir Khusanov
48'
The players are back out, and the second half is under way!
46'
Yellow Card Gianluigi Donnarumma
49'
HAALAND!!! WHAT A START TO THE SECOND HALF! CITY GO 1-0 UP! Cherki does well to keep an attack alive, preventing the ball from going out for a goal-kick. He tees up Fernandez, who dinks it into the box, and Haaland's header creeps back across goal, kissing the post as it crosses the line. There's a brief VAR check, but the goal eventually stands.
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Fernandez neatly found Haaland with his deft cross, registering his first goal involvement for City in the Champions League.
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Maresca immediately turns to the bench. Gvardiol, who is on a yellow card, is quite wisely withdrawn and replaced by Khusanov at left-back.
48'
Porto immediately go on the attack, with a deep cross towards Pepe. He can't head on target, but is clattered by Donnarumma. The offside flag comes to the rescue of the City goalkeeper, but he's still booked for his challenge.
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City have won their Champions League opener in six of the last seven seasons (D1). Their last such defeat came against Lyon in 2018-19.
52'
IT JUST NEEDS A TOUCH! Porto continue to search for an equaliser. A deep corner is nodded back across goal by Alberto Costa. However, it's just too far ahead of Perez, who can't react quickly enough to make the connection.
54'
NOT FAR AWAY! The hosts crank the pressure up even higher. The ball is neatly laid off for Varela, who looks to curl one from the edge of the box. Donnarumma's struggling as the ball flashes whiskers wide of his far post.
57'
Believe it or not, that was Porto's first official attempt on goal during this game. Farioli will hope it's a sign of things to come from his side, heading into the final half-hour.
59'
City look to counter with Semenyo leading their charge. He attempts to thread the ball through for Haaland, but just overhits it and Diogo Costa collects.
60'
Haaland's header was Champions League goal number 35 for him in a City shirt. He's now just one away from becoming their joint-leading marksman in the competition, alongside Aguero. Porto look to cancel out his effort at the other end, but Gomes drags a low 20-yard shot wide of the near post.
62'
Maresca makes two changes in a bid to settle his side down. One of them comes on the wing, with Ndiaye replacing Semenyo.
62'
Substitution Rayan Cherki Elliot Anderson
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The other swap comes in the heart of midfield, as Anderson sprints on in place of Cherki.
62'
The fact they're starting to get shots away is certainly a sign of improvement from Porto. Gabri Veiga's ambitious attempt from range bends away from goal, so they're still awaiting their first shot on target in this game. They're finding their range, though.
63'
BE CAREFUL! The ball is played back to Donnarumma. As Gomes chases him down, he rather carelessly looks to play the ball across. It's anticipated and blocked by the Porto forward. Thankfully for Donnarumma, though, the ball goes wide of the goal.
66'
Substitution William Gomes Carvalho Santos Borja Sainz
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Substitution Alan Varela In-Beom Hwang
68'
Porto make two changes of their own. Hwang replaces Varela in the first of them.
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The other change sees the hardworking Gomes given a breather, with Sainz taking his place for the final quarter of the contest.
68'
Porto certainly have the momentum heading into the last 20 minutes. Silva races onto a throughball in behind the City defence, and plays it across goal. His team-mate can't provide the finishing touch, but the offside flag goes up against him anyway.
70'
Substitution André Miguel Valente da Silva Santiago Giménez
73'
Substitution Martim Moreira Moutinho Fernandes Francisco Sampaio de Moura
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There's also a change up front, with Andre Silva making way for Gimenez.
73'
Another couple of changes from Porto. The first is at full-back, with Moura replacing Fernandes.
73'
Substitution Phil Foden Rayan Aït-Nouri
75'
Substitution Ayyoub Bouaddi Mateo Kovacic
75'
Maresca goes for experience in the middle of the park, as teenager Bouaddi makes way for Kovacic.
75'
There's also a conservative substitution by Maresca, with Foden replaced by Ait-Nouri.
75'
GOOD BLOCK! City go in search of that second goal that would give them breathing space. Haaland slips it through for Ndiaye, who is onside. However, Kiwior gets across quickly and makes a well-timed intervention to divert the shot away from goal.
77'
City still lead by a goal to nil, but it's far from comfortable. They're not helping their cause, either, by being so sloppy in possession. Porto will sense an opportunity, and will be desperate to take it.
79'
The 2023 champions very wisely try to find some rhythm as they keep hold of the ball for a decent spell. This will help settle them down as they look to see out the win.
81'
Substitution Gabri Veiga Seko Fofana
83'
It's one of the final throws of the dice from Farioli, who sends on Fofana in place of Gabri Veiga for the final seven minutes.
83'
Moments after Haaland can't keep a header down from Ndiaye's cross, Fofana is immediately involved. He makes his way into the City area, and does his best to rally the home supporters after his cross deflects behind for a corner.
84'
City deal with the corner and attack at the other end. The ball is teed up for the onrushing Ait-Nouri on the edge of the box. However, the former Wolves defender fires narrowly wide of the target.
85'
Fernandez earns a free-kick from Rosario, which eats up a few more seconds. He eventually swings the set-piece into the box. Dias tries to connect, but can't keep his header down. Although, the referee penalises the visitors for pushing in the box.
87'
City have been nowhere near their brilliant best here. It won't matter, though, if they can hold onto their lead. It would be a big win, too. Porto haven't lost on home soil in 2026.
89'
Goal Erling Haaland
90'
GOOD TRY! Anderson looks to settle those late City nerves. The substitute drives towards the area and bends one towards the far corner. Diogo Costa has to spring across and palm it behind for a corner.
90'
Assist Rayan Aït-Nouri
90'
Yellow Card Erling Haaland
90'
Yellow Card Pablo Rosario
90'
Ait-Nouri was away down the left, and showed great awareness to pick out Haaland just outside the six-yard box.
90'
HAALAND SCORES AGAIN!!! 2-0! THAT SEALS THE VICTORY FOR CITY! It's been a hard day's work, but City look like they've got the job done. Ait-Nouri gets to the byline in space and pulls the ball back for Haaland, who neatly steers a first-time shot past Diogo Costa. It's another landmark goal for the City number nine, who moves past Tommy Johnson to become their third-leading scorer of all time with 167.
90'
Lineups
FC Porto (4-1-2-3) coached by Francesco Farioli
Pepê, André Silva, William Gomes, Alan Varela, Gabri Veiga, Pablo Rosario, Martim Fernandes, Jakub Kiwior, Nehuén Pérez, Alberto Costa, Diogo Costa
Manchester City (4-2-3-1) coached by Enzo Maresca
Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Josko Gvardiol, Marc Guéhi, Ruben Dias, Matheus Nunes, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Enzo Fernandez