Maresca on musical warm ups, Haaland's change and Cherki's role

Mon, September 7, 2026 at 7:24 PM UTC Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Champions League game against Porto at Estadio Do Dragao (kick-off 20:00 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference: Nico O'Reilly could be back for the weekend when Man City face Manchester United but they are "not sure" about Jeremy Doku's return date. On whether spending such vast sums in the transfer market brings pressure in the Champions League: "I said many times when you are Manchester City the expectations are always higher. I like to focus on the day by day. It's complicated to think where we can be in February, March or April. For me the most important thing is to see we are improving game after game." Discussing Rayan Cherki dropping deep to receive the ball in recent City outings, Maresca explained: "There is always a game plan. When we are in our side, Rayan also drops a little bit to manage the game - the tempo and the game. When the ball is in the opposite side we need Rayan in a position to be dangerous. So it depends a little bit where we are." Maresca was asked about playing music while players warmed up in training: "It's something I had in Leicester, Chelsea - I introduced here. I think there are days where the players with music, they are more happy and can work better. The players decide (the songs). It's just to create more of an environment for them." On Erling Haaland raising mental fatigue on his YouTube channel: "It's not easy for them. Not easy for Erling and most of the players that continue to play for their club and international team. You see these kind of players, they start to get tired. It's correct to give them some rest. It could be a game out or week away. It depends on the moment. The priority from my point of view is allow the players to be fit, good and happy." Maresca was asked how Haaland has changed as a player since he was previously at the club as Pep Guardiola's assistant: "He's a man now, a dad. Life completely changes. The priority becomes his son. I am happy for him. He was already top as a player, as a boy. Now you can see he is complete now - a family man, still scoring goals. I am very happy for him." Asked if Man City are favourites against Porto: "We are here to do our best. This is a hard place to come. This season they have started very good. In the last 14 or 15 games in Europe I thnk they have lost one. That shows it's a difficult place to come but we are going to try our best to win the game." Listen to live commentary of Porto v Manchester City on BBC Radio 5 Live from 20:00 BST on Tuesday. Got a question about Man City? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts Stay informed with a handpicked selection of the day's top AOL stories, delivered to your inbox.