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Manchester City-FC Porto Preview: The Champions League is here

By J.C. Gonzalez

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on October 17, 2020 in Manchester, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on October 17, 2020 in Manchester, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City open their latest European campaign against FC Porto at home.

Manchester City’s legacy of European disappointment under Pep Guardiola has arguably been the only dark cloud overshadowing what has otherwise been an incredible time for the club. Tomorrow, another European campaign will begin under the Catalan, and again, City were drawn into a fairly easy group.

The first match will come against FC Porto, the reigning champions of Portugal, who currently sit 2nd behind rivals Benfica with seven points from their first four matches, just like City. The Citizens are massive favorites in a group including Porto, Marseille, and Olympiacos, but the battle for the second qualifying spot appears to be very evenly split between those three sides, although I would tip Porto to have a slight edge.

City will be looking to get their European season started off on the right foot, but in a way, its frustrating that they will once again not be properly tested against top opposition. After dropping into Pot Two this year, I was hoping that at least one contender would be drawn with City to give them a taste of top European football before their lives are on the line in the knockout stages. Nevertheless, City should have a quite straightforward route to their ninth straight Round of 16, where the real test begins.

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At this point, City have not done enough in my opinion to be considered favorites to win the Champions League. The squad is good enough on paper, but after recurring losses to sides of inferior quality at the quarterfinal stage, this team must prove to me that they deserve to be heralded as the odds-on favorite to lift the cup. The competition appears wide open, however, with finalists Bayern Munich and PSG the top contenders, followed by a group of teams that have something to prove to get into that category. I would place City in that second tier, alongside a Virgil Van Dijk-less Liverpool, Barcelona, Juventus, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid as a dark horse.

Nevertheless, European football’s top club competition is back, and City fans should be excited to see if this is finally the year a team of supreme quality can finally prove themselves on the biggest stage when the lights are brightest.

Predicted XI: Ederson (GK), Kyle Walker (RB), Rúben Dias (CB), Nathan Aké (CB), João Cancelo (LB), Rodri (CDM), İlkay Gündoğan (CDM), Bernardo Silva (CAM), Riyad Mahrez (RW), Sergio Agüero (ST), Raheem Sterling (LW)