Enzo Maresca begins Champions League journey at Estadio do Dragao

September 7, 2026
3:34 pm

A blue-on-blue battle takes centre stage on the opening night time of the 2026/27 Champions League league section as Porto welcome Manchester Metropolis to the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday night.

Each golf equipment have made good begins to their home campaigns, establishing a extremely anticipated European contest in Portugal. With the 2 sides assembly for the fifth time competitively, one thing should give when Porto and Manchester Metropolis go head-to-head.

For Manchester Metropolis, the fixture represents the start of a brand new period in European competitors. Not because the 2015/16 season have the Residents entered a Champions League marketing campaign with out Pep Guardiola as their supervisor.

Enzo Maresca now takes cost of his first Champions League marketing campaign with Metropolis, including one other main problem to what has already been a powerful begin to his tenure.

The Italian coach has overseen an ideal starting to Metropolis’s Premier League marketing campaign, with the membership amassing 9 factors from their opening three matches in opposition to Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and newly promoted Coventry Metropolis.

Enzo Maresca- Photo credit: Softfootball media — Enzo Maresca- Photograph credit score: Softfootball media

Metropolis most just lately defeated Frank Lampard’s Coventry 1-0 on Saturday, with Erling Haaland scoring the decisive aim.

The strike was significantly vital for the Norwegian, because it marked his three hundredth profession aim whereas additionally seeing him break a Manchester Metropolis report beforehand held by Sergio Aguero.

Metropolis suffered a setback in opposition to Arsenal within the Neighborhood Defend, shedding by the identical scoreline, however they’ve responded strongly by profitable all three of their Premier League fixtures since then.

Porto, in the meantime, return to the Champions League after a two-year absence and will likely be decided to make their return depend.

The Dragons final featured in Europe’s premier competitors throughout the 2023/24 season, when their marketing campaign ended within the final 16 in opposition to Arsenal following a penalty shootout.

Since then, Porto have endured combined fortunes within the Europa League.

The fifth aggressive assembly between the golf equipment due to this fact guarantees to be an interesting contest, with Porto seeking to mark their return to the Champions League with an announcement end result and Maresca aiming to start his European reign at Manchester Metropolis with victory.

Crew Information

Man Metropolis’s new report signing Enzo Fernandez was pressed into motion sooner than anticipated in opposition to Coventry, as Nico O’Reilly withdrew from the beginning XI on the final minute after sustaining a again harm within the warm-up.

In the meantime, Porto will likely be depleted defensively on Tuesday owing to the suspension of Jan Bednarek, who serves a one-game ban for the crimson card he obtained in final season’s Europa League quarter-final second-leg loss to Nottingham Forest.