Manchester City will entertain FC Porto at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night hoping to begin their UEFA Champions League campaign with all three points in the bag. The Mancunian giants returned to their winning ways versus Arsenal on Saturday, which will give them a lot of confidence going into this home encounter in Europe.
Pep Guardiola is expected to opt for a 3-1-4-2 formation and could name Fernandinho back in his first XI for this upcoming clash against Sérgio Conceição’s men.
3-1-4-2 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face FC Porto
Defence
Ederson will operate in goal for Man City after securing a well-deserved clean sheet against the Gunners in his last outing. Guardiola could choose to go with a back three of Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker once again following their impressive collective display in defence on Saturday.
All three Man City defenders will have to work hard in stopping Porto’s Moussa Marega who is expected to be a real handful for them on the counter. John Stones will be available for selection on Guardiola’s bench.
Midfield
Fernandinho could play as a defensive midfielder with Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri playing just in front of him at the centre of the park. Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez would once again be used on the wide areas as they look to cause all sorts of problems for the Porto defenders out on the flanks.
Phil Foden could be handed a rest on the bench after he got a start versus Mikel Arteta’s side on Saturday. Kevin De Bruyne is still out of action due to a muscle injury which means that Joao Cancelo could once again be a part of Guardiola’s match-day squad in midweek.
Attack
Raheem Sterling is expected to continue to play along with Sergio Aguero up top. Both players struggled to be clinical in the final third versus Arsenal even though Sterling scored the only goal in that game. This upcoming European clash versus Porto could be another chance for them to return to form ahead of what looks set to be a busy period for the club in the coming weeks when the fixtures come thick and fast across various competitions.
Liam Delap and Ferran Torres will make up the numbers on the bench as they wait for their opportunities to shine as part of Guardiola’s first-team.
