Brazilian footballer Gabriel Veron represents the main absence from FC Porto’s squad for the 2023/24 edition of the Champions League, the group stage of which starts next week, UEFA announced on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old attacker is recovering from a muscle injury to his right adductor that he suffered at the end of July and was ultimately left out of the ‘choices’ of coach Sérgio Conceição, who also gave up goalkeepers Samuel Portugal and Francisco Meixedo.
Starter Diogo Costa and usual substitute Cláudio Ramos are among the options for the goal, which are completed by the young Gonçalo Ribeiro, registered via the B list.
This selection is reserved for players born after January 1, 2002 Midfielders Bernardo Folha and Vasco Sousa and winger Francisco Conceição, who returns to FC Porto, are also rented from the Dutch Ajax.
UEFA allows the entry of 25 players for List A, including the remaining reinforcements signed during the closed season, such as defender Jorge Sánchez, midfielders Alan Varela and Nico González and forwards Iván Jaime and Fran Navarro, while Diogo Costa, João Mário , Romário Baró and Gonçalo Borges fulfill the quota of athletes trained at the club.
FC Porto, winners in 1986/87 and 2003/04, begin their 27th appearance in the Champions League, and fourth in a row, with a visit to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, on September 19, at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. in Germany, in the opening round of Group H, which also includes FC Barcelona and Antwerp.
The first stage of the 69th edition of Europe’s premier club competition runs until December 12 and 13 and will qualify the top two in each ‘pool’ for the ‘eighth’, with the final scheduled for June 1, 2024. at Wembley Stadium, London.
List A of players registered by FC Porto in the Champions League:
– Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa and Cláudio Ramos.
– Defense: João Mário, Jorge Sánchez, David Carmo, Fábio Cardoso, Iván Marcano, Pepe, Zaidu and Wendell.
– Midfielders: Marko Grujic, Alan Varela, Stephen Eustáquio, Nico González, Romário Baró, Iván Jaime and André Franco.
– Forwards: Pepê, Galeno, Gonçalo Borges, Danny Namaso, Mehdi Taremi, Toni Martínez, Evanilson and Fran Navarro.
Source: DN
