The last time Manchester City played a competitive match at the Estádio do Dragão, they lost a Champions League final on it. Kai Havertz scored in the 42nd minute and Chelsea held on for a 1-0 win on 29 May 2021, sending City home from their first European Cup final without the trophy.
Five years on, they come back to the same pitch as favourites, but with the cast almost fully changed.
Pep Guardiola left in the summer after ten seasons in charge, and Enzo Maresca was appointed on 29 June on a three-year contract, with Chelsea receiving around £17m in compensation for their outgoing manager. Maresca is not a stranger to the building: he was a youth coach at City and part of Guardiola’s staff during the 2018-19 treble season.
“Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me,” Maresca said on his appointment.
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Rodri and De Bruyne watch this one from elsewhere
The engine of the Guardiola sides is not in the away dressing room either. Rodri, who played 298 matches across seven seasons at the Etihad, completed a move to Barcelona in August in a deal worth an initial €60m, with up to €16.5m in add-ons, and signed a four-year contract after turning down Real Madrid. Kevin De Bruyne, who left the Etihad last summer, now plays for Napoli.
Both are on City’s fixture list this autumn: Napoli travel to Manchester on Tuesday 24 November, and City visit Barcelona on Tuesday 8 December.
Porto is Francesco Farioli’s project now
The home team is under Italian coach Francesco Farioli, appointed in July 2025 on a two-year deal. The Dragão was built into one of Europe’s most difficult away trips during the José Mourinho era, and Porto’s record at home in continental competition remains part of the club’s identity.
Matchday 1 in a familiar format
Kick-off is 21:00 CEST, 8pm local time in Porto, on Tuesday 8 September. It is City’s first of eight league-phase fixtures in a 36-team table where only the top eight go straight through to the last 16. Their remaining draw pairs them at the Etihad with PSG, Napoli, AEK Athens and Sporting CP, and on the road with Barcelona, RB Leipzig and RC Lens.
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