Manchester City kick off their Champions League campaign on Tuesday night, as Enzo Maresca’s team travels to Portugal to face Porto. The trip may be made difficult by the absences of two regulars from last season.
O’Reilly and Doku stayed at home
Versatile England international Nico O’Reilly hasn’t travelled with the squad after picking up a back injury in the warm-up for City’s 1-0 home win over Coventry City on Saturday.
Belgian star Jeremy Doku has remained in Manchester as he looks to recover from a calf issue. The injury has prevented him from featuring in any of the Citizens’ games this season.
Both players enjoyed strong campaigns last season, with O’Reilly’s performances earning him a place in the England squad. They were also enough for the versatile star to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
City are hoping that Doku will return to fitness in the near future. Meanwhile, O’Reilly could well return to the squad for this weekend’s derby at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
Allan could debut with Nunes set to return
One player who could feature in Portugal for the Citizens is new signing Allan, who is yet to feature for the club since joining from Palmeiras in his homeland.
The attacking midfielder joined City at the end of August for a fee of around £34.2m, signing a five-year deal. The 22-year-old could have a chance to impress on the wing in Doku’s absence.
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His compatriot Matheus Nunes is also likely to return to the squad after playing just 33 minutes of the Premier League season. Nunes’ return is also a boost to Maresca, as he looks to guide City to a winning start to their Champions League campaign.
The City boss has recently talked about the importance of squad rotation. Having heavily strengthened their squad in the summer, the Citizens can rotate players and still field a strong starting line-up.