Porto-Manchester City: Maresca announces playing time for Bouaddi, McAidoo, and Iliman Ndiaye

Enzo Maresca has announced that Ayyoub Bouaddi, Ryan McAidoo, and Iliman Ndiaye are expected to get playing time on Tuesday 8 September against FC Porto. Manchester City opens its European campaign at the Estádio do Dragão with the intention of quickly integrating several of its new options into the rotation.

In remarks published by Manchester City after the 1-0 victory over Coventry, the Italian coach named the three players among those he wants to quickly expose to the Champions League under City’s colors. However, he did not formally announce his starting eleven for Porto.

Manchester City confirmed on Monday a squad of 22 players for the trip to Portugal. Bouaddi, McAidoo, and Ndiaye are all included in the delegation, along with Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Enzo Fernández, Antoine Semenyo, and Matheus Nunes. Jérémy Doku and Nico O’Reilly, however, are absent from the squad..

Bouaddi is no stranger to the competition: the midfielder had already started with Lille during the 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on 2 October 2024, the day of his 17 birthday. Against Coventry on Saturday, Iliman Ndiaye started before making way for Ryan McAidoo in the 87th minute, while Bouaddi came on in the 76th minute replacing Enzo Fernández. Haaland scored the only goal in the 26th minute.

A rotation strategy embraced ahead of the Manchester derby.

Maresca also emphasized the need to manage Erling Haaland’s playing time over a busy season. The coach explained that the Norwegian could not play every match in full, while noting that decisions would depend on the game plan. No rest has been announced for the striker for the Porto match.

The trip to Portugal comes just days before the derby against Manchester United. This sequence underscores the value of a gradual rotation, as City now has to juggle the Premier League, Champions League, and domestic competitions.

FC Porto arrives with a strong start to the season. The Portuguese club leads its league and had won its first five Primeira Liga matches before this European fixture. Manchester City, meanwhile, has won its first three Premier League games.

The kickoff for Porto-Manchester City is scheduled for 21h in France, or 20h in Benin, at the Estádio do Dragão. Official lineups will be announced closer to the match and will reveal how far Maresca pushes his rotation from the first matchday.