FC Porto welcomed Manchester City to the Estádio do Dragão for their UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday. While Man City dominated most of the possession and much of the match, Porto were well-organised and found a way to keep City at bay, securing a 0-0 draw. The result means that Man City finish at the top of Group C, while Porto finish second.
This tactical analysis will examine the tactics used by both City and Porto. The analysis will look at how Porto set up defensively, what Man City did to try and counter that set-up, and Phil Fodens contributions to the match.
Line-ups
Sérgio Conceição sent Porto’s squad out in a 5-3-2 formation with Agustín Marchesín in goal. Their three centre-backs were Malang Sarr, Diogo Leite, and Chancel Mbemba. Zaidu Sanusi played as the left wing-back while Wilson Manafá played on the right, although both were hesitant to push forward. Porto’s three midfielders were Mateus Uribe, Sérgio Oliveira, and Otávio. Up top, Moussa Marega and Jesús Manuel Corona started as Porto’s strikers.
Pep Guardiola started City in a 4-2-3-1, although much of their possession saw them in a 2-3-5 or 3-2-5 structure. Ederson started in goal with Rúben Dias and Eric García as his centre-backs. João Cancelo started as right-back while Oleksandr Zinchenko started on the left side. The two holding midfielders were Rodri and Fernandinho with Bernardo Silva in front of them. Phil Foden started on the left flank while Raheem Sterling started on the right, and Ferran Torres started the match as their striker.
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