Francesco Farioli, Porto's 37-year-old head coach, will take charge of his first Champions League match as a manager when his side host Manchester City at the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday. Farioli, who led Porto to the Portuguese title last season, turned down interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Rangers to stay and extend his contract, citing his strong relationship with club president Andre Villas-Boas and a shared ambition to build something special after Porto's third-place finish the previous season.

Farioli's rise has been rapid and unconventional: a former non-league goalkeeper in Italy, he was brought into coaching by Roberto de Zerbi at Benevento in 2017 before managerial spells in Turkey, then Nice and Ajax, where his sides were known for possession-based, high-pressing football and strong defensive records. Porto, European champions in 2004 under Jose Mourinho, have won the Portuguese Super Cup and begun this season with five wins from five league games, conceding just once, as Farioli prepares to test his methods against Enzo Maresca's City.