Nathan Ake is not fully fit and is replaced by Eric Garcia, while Ilkay Gundogan comes in for his first start of the campaign with Phil Foden dropping to the bench.
Starting XI:
City: Ederson, Walker, Cancelo, Dias, Garcia, Rodrigo, Gundogan, Bernardo, Mahrez, Aguero, Sterling (c)
Subs: Steffen, Carson, Stones, Zinchenko, Torres, Fernandinho, Foden, Nmecha, Doyle, Harwood-Bellis, Palmer, Bernabe
Porto: Marchesín, Mbemba, Pepe, Sarr, JM Corona, Oliveira, Uribe, Sanusi, Vieira, Díaz, Marega
Formation and possible tactics:
City look set for a 4-3-3 formation this evening.
Ilkay Gundogan is likely to get a more advanced role in midfield with Rodri sitting back while the front three will resume duty after the Arsenal victory.
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Whether Bernardo reprises his role against the Gunners of collecting from deep and driving forward remains to be seen – he may be just asked to use his energy in a more advanced position tonight but as ever, we’ll wait and see.
Victory crucial
City started the 2018/10 Champions League group stage off with a 2-1 home defeat Lyon and even though it was a group we would eventually win, it ultimately made the task harder.
Taking three points from the opening home game against Porto will be Pep Guardiola’s minimum requirement.
As we saw at the weekend, City are not at full strength at present and have more notable absentees this evening, but Arsenal were still kept a bay in a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
Pep will always want his team to perform and play beautiful football, but in order to get this season’s Champions League campaign off to a positive start, a win of any kind will be likely welcomed.
Once we have a full quota of players to choose from, everything changes and expectation levels will rise accordingly.
Stats and facts
This is City’s tenth UEFA Champions League campaign - we have been involved in the group stage every season since 2011/12 and have reached the Round of 16 for seven successive campaigns.
City have scored 35 goals in the last 13 Champions League matches - over the last two seasons, our record is W13 D3 L3 with 51 goals scored and 21 conceded.
City are unbeaten in eight home European matches (W7 D1) since the 2-1 loss to Lyon on Matchday 1 in 2018/19.
This is Porto’s 24th Champions League group campaign - fewer only than Real Madrid and Barcelona (both 25). The Portuguese side have qualified for the last 16 on each of their last three appearances in the group stage.
Porto have lost three of their last four matches in the Champions League proper but are unbeaten in nine games in the competition’s group stage (W7 D2), winning their last four.
Sergio Conceição’s side won the club’s eighth domestic double in 2019/20, claiming Porto’s 29th league title and a 17th Portuguese Cup.
The Portuguese side have not scored on their last seven visits to England, conceding 15 goals, and have never won here. Their most recent trip was a 2-0 loss at Liverpool in the 2018/19 quarter-final first leg; a 4-1 home reverse in the second leg made it one win in Porto’s last seven matches against Premier League clubs, home and away (D1 L5).
Coaches Pep Guardiola and Sérgio Conceição were on opposite sides once in their playing careers, with Conceição’s Internazionale recording a 2-1 home win against Pep’s Brescia on 14 April 2002, despite Guardiola‘s first-half penalty.
City have won both of their previous two meetings with Porto, winning 2-1 away and 4-0 at home in the Europa League in 2011-12.
Since his Champions League debut for City in September 2015, forward Raheem Sterling has scored 20 goals in the competition - the joint-most of any English player, along with Harry Kane.
The last team to beat Manchester City in the group stage of the Champions League was Lyon, in September 2018.
Porto have lost just two of their past 16 Champions League group matches, winning 11.
This will be Porto’s 21st away game against English opponents in all European competition. They have drawn three but are still looking for their first victory.
The Portuguese champions have not won their opening group match in any of their past four Champions League campaigns.
