Porto face triple injury blow as Bednarek, Froholdt and Samu miss Man City clash

Porto will be without three first-team players when they host Manchester City in their Champions League group-stage opener at the Estádio do Dragão on Tuesday night, head coach Francesco Farioli confirmed in his pre-match press conference.

Centre-back Jan Bednarek is suspended after receiving a red card against Nottingham Forest in last season’s Europa League — a ban that has carried over into this campaign, ruling him out of Porto’s first two Champions League fixtures against City and Real Betis. Striker Samu Aghehowa remains a long-term absentee following a cruciate ligament tear sustained in February, while midfielder Victor Froholdt was ruled out after being knocked unconscious during Friday’s Liga Portugal victory over Moreirense.

“If we look at the first Europa League game, apart from Diogo [Costa], we don’t have all the players in the central area, because we don’t have Bednarek, Froholdt and Samu,” Farioli said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have everyone for different reasons, but it’s an opportunity for the rest of the group to show what they’re worth on the biggest stages.”

Farioli, who guided Nice before taking charge at Porto, is making his Champions League managerial debut on Tuesday and struck a defiant tone despite the absentees. “The bad news is that we’re going to have to run a lot,” he said. “The good news is that we have the legs and lungs to put on a great performance against one of the best teams in the world.”

The Portuguese club’s head coach also called on the Dragão atmosphere to play its part. “With respect and humility, but with the right level of ambition and desire that, especially at the Dragao, we can do something special with our fans helping us. Which is what FC Porto deserves.”

Farioli acknowledged the scale of the challenge posed by City, citing the legacy built under Pep Guardiola and the new direction under Enzo Maresca. “We have enormous respect for our opponent, for their individual quality, their organisation, the legacy they created with Pep Guardiola, and the new era with Enzo Maresca. It’s a game that demands our best, but we’ll do everything to make the fans happy.”

Manchester City travelled to Porto on Monday ahead of the fixture, with Maresca scheduled to hold his own pre-match press conference later that evening.