On Tuesday 8 September, we have the enticing prospect of Porto clashing with Manchester City. This is a Matchday One encounter in the Champions League, with the Portuguese champions operating as the big outsiders to open with a win. They've opened the domestic campaign convincingly, with Francesco Farioli looking for his side to earn a positive result.
The Citizens head to Porto feeling confident that they can get off to a fast start, with Cody Gakpo and Enzo Fernandez likely to be part of the squad by this stage. There's also Elliott Anderson in midfield, with the irrepressible Erling Haaland looking to break more scoring records. We're looking forward to a high-scoring clash.
Porto v Manchester City Betting Markets
Manchester City were able to win five of their eight Champions League group stage games last season. This was enough to land a top-eight spot and this will once again be the target when they line up in the European Cup this term. They've been handed a tricky looking opener as the north-west side head to Estádio do Dragão in search of a positive result, with Enzo Maresca bedding in at the club.
Pep Guardiola is a difficult act to follow and we saw City struggle in the Community Shield against Arsenal. Since then, they came from behind to beat Bournemouth before enjoying a convincing win at Crystal Palace. They are priced at 1.75 to claim a victory against Porto and that suggests that City have a 57% chance of securing three Champions League points.
We think the draw represents better value. The price of 3.90 is attractive considering that Porto have made a strong start to the season. Francesco Farioli's have won all four of their domestic clashes, with nine goals scored across the encounters and none conceded. Although the standard of the Portuguese Superliga is lower than the English top-flight, we still respect the team's form.
Three successive 2-0 wins have been enjoyed domestically against Alverca, Rio Ave and Arouca. There was then a 3-0 victory away to Academico de Viseu. On that occasion, the team blew away their opponents in the first half and we're anticipating that they will put up a stubborn resistance against their English counterparts.
One has to respect the fact that this isn't a must-win game for any team on Match Day 1 and that Porto will feel that a point gained against one of the Champions League favourites is going to stand them in good stead moving into the competition.
Goals Under/Over
Porto and Manchester City might serve up a few goals according to the latest Champions League odds. There is 1.66 available that there are Over 2.5 during the ninety minutes. This suggests that there's a 60% chance that the net bulges three or more times. Manchester City's eight group stage games last term saw an average of three scored, with Pep Guardiola's side notching fifteen and conceding nine times.
Away from home, there was a 2-2 draw in Monaco to kick things off and there was also a 2-1 win away to Real Madrid as well as a 3-1 reverse to Bodo/Glimt. We know that they are capable of scoring in volume and we're also seeing Porto getting used to finding the net on a regular basis.
We think Over 2.5 Goals is likely to happen as the odds suggest. Both teams are likely to try and get on the front foot in search of goals. We can see this game featuring three or four goals in total.
BTTS
BTTS Yes is trading at exactly the same price as Over 2.5 Goals. We're actually keener to bet on the former at the odds, with both teams looking set to find the net here. Porto scored thirty-three goals across their seventeen home matches last term, with that being an average of nearly two per clash. They are sure to cause problems for a City rearguard who conceded three to Arsenal in the Community Shield.
At the time of writing, the Cityzens are yet to keep a clean sheet. They fell behind against Bournemouth before rallying to win. They then conceded a consolation goal at Selhurst Park, with the defence always potentially left open by the fact that the team generally have the ball higher up the pitch.
Although Porto have ran a tight ship in the Portuguese Superliga so far, this is an altogether different kind of assignment. They will be looking to play on the front foot, with the team having the advantage of a Friday night clash against Moreirense before being able to fully prepare for this showdown.
We think pairing the draw and BTTS Yes could be a decent shout, giving us the possibility of a 1-1 or a 2-2 draw. The latter in particular could be along the right lines and that sort of outcome would satisfy both sides.
First Goalscorer
We've long run out of superlatives when describing the scoring exploits of Erling Haaland. The Norwegian was at the double when bagging a brace at Selhurst Park, with the forward having previously wowed a global audience for his country at the World Cup. The former Borussia Dortmund player should be able to get chances against Porto, with lots of other attacking players capable of finding the net.
Rayan Cherki is in red-hot form after two assists against Bournemouth was followed by two goals against Palace. The fiery Frenchman is picking up where he left off after last season and could well be worth siding with on the assists or goals front. Then there's Phil Foden who appears to be rejuvenated for Enzo Maresca and could well get another start here.
Antoine Semenyo is likely to operate on the left flank, with Josko Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly also able to get into strong scoring positions. Porto also have lively attacking threats and Gabri Veiga has scored in three of his four matches thus far. The Spaniard could end up in the English Premier League although for now he's aiming to be a thorn in the side of City.
