Enzo Maresca has made the key team-news point clear before Manchester City's Champions League opener at FC Porto: Jérémy Doku is back in training terms, but not back in time for Porto. Nico O'Reilly is also set to miss out, and City travelled to north Portugal on Monday without either player. Doku picked up his injury in the Community Shield final against Arsenal last month.
Maresca's update on Doku and O'Reilly
Maresca said Doku is “back” but added, “I don't know if he can be available for the weekend [vs Manchester United], but slowly, slowly he is back,” which leaves the Porto trip firmly too soon. The derby comment is the only real opening City can still hang on to, and even that stays uncertain after this update.
The wider issue is how little Doku has been able to build any rhythm since returning. He has made just 1 Premier League appearance this season, lasting 45 minutes in that outing. City are already carrying a heavy workload around him, so losing him again removes a player who has barely had a chance to settle.
Maresca also spoke about expectations at Manchester City, saying, “I said many times when you are Manchester City the expectations are always higher,” and added that he prefers to focus on improvement “game after game”. That sits alongside the club’s nearly £430m summer spend, which has only raised the pressure on every competitive line-up decision.
Porto's own absences at the Estadio do Dragao
Porto are short-handed too. Francesco Farioli said, “We are missing Bednarek, Froholdt and Samu, in addition to the absences of Zaidu and Oskar, important players,” and added that it is “an opportunity for the group to show their work and show that they can react [positively] to the absences.”
Jan Bednarek will serve a suspension after being sent off against Nottingham Forest in the Europa League last season. Victor Froholdt was knocked unconscious during Friday night’s win over Moreirense in Liga Portugal. Both have already made 4 league appearances, so these are not fringe names Porto are missing.
Farioli also described City as “one of the main candidates for the title”, which is hard to argue with given the expectation around Maresca's squad. The match at the Estadio do Dragao now feels less about headline names and more about which manager can get a patched-up side through the first European night of the season.
If Doku is not involved against Porto, City's next checkpoint is the weekend meeting with Manchester United, where Maresca has already admitted he cannot yet say the winger will be ready.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
