Porto v Man City: Champions League predictions, best bets and odds

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With three wins in as many games in the Premier League, on paper life has started fairly rosily for Enzo Maresca in Manchester.

But they needed an injury-time goal to see off Bournemouth, while Coventry City posed them all sorts of trouble on Saturday – the promoted side creating and missing three big chances.

So they will need to step up a gear or two against a Porto side that won the Primeira Liga with ease last term, prevailing in 28/34 games, and who reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Porto v Manchester City tips

Man City to Win @ 7/10 (Bet365)

Both Teams to Score @ 7/10 (Bet365)

Match Goals Range: 2-4 @ 8/15 (Bet365)

Odds courtesy of Bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.

Return on investment

The challenge for clubs from Portugal is that they face a considerable step up in class when participating in the Champions League.

The likes of Porto and Sporting Lisbon have performed admirably in this competition in the past, with this latest generation of talent at Porto expertly managed by a clever head coach in Francesco Farioli.

But the question for punters is how many of their players would get into Man City’s starting 11? Indeed, there are a number of players on the Cityzens’ bench who would walk into Farioli’s side.

That’s no guarantee that City will win this match, of course, but they have class all over the pitch, which gives Maresca so many different options to win games of football. Plus, Erling Haaland has started strongly, with three goals in three Premier League matches so far for the big Norwegian hitman.

Less than six months ago, Porto were beaten over two legs by Nottingham Forest in the Europa League. Now they face one of the richest clubs in the world… who you expect will get some sort of return on their investment this season.

Tip: Man City to Win @ 7/10 (Bet365)

Explanation: Our bet lands if Manchester City win this game.

Some signs of vulnerability

Mind you, that’s not to say that City have been perfect so far this term by any means.

They were thrashed 3-0 in the Community Shield by Arsenal, conceded against both Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, and undoubtedly should have shipped at least one goal against Coventry City as well.

This Porto team is well drilled by Farioli and will be full of confidence on home soil. They have won all six of their games this term – five in the league, as well as Portugal’s version of the Community Shield, scoring two or more goals in five of those outings.

Yes, City are a class above their usual opposition, but they conceded in 5/8 group-phase games in last season’s Champions League and yielded five goals against Real Madrid in the last 16.

The Cityzens’ defensive woes at the top level have been in play for quite some time… Porto have the class to take full advantage.

Tip: Both Teams to Score @ 7/10 (Bet365)

Explanation: If both Porto and Man City score, our BTTS bet lands.

Two to Four

If we’re expecting City to win a contest in which both teams score, then a case for between 2-4 goals being netted has already been made.

It’s a selection that provides wriggle room and multiple opportunities to win, which is all we can ask for as punters.

As noted already, City winning this game by a 2-1 or 3-1 scoreline certainly feels plausible, and that’s essentially what we’re backing with this selection – as well as other combinations should Porto instead gain the upper hand.

For extra context, Manchester City played 10 Champions League games last season… and this 2-4 goal range pick landed in nine of them.

Tip: Match Goals Range: 2-4 @ 8/15 (Bet365)

Explanation: Our bet lands if there are two, three or four goals in total scored in the match.

Porto v Manchester City odds

Porto: 10/3 (Bet365)

Draw: 3/1 (Bet365)

Man City: 7/10 (Bet365)

These odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.