Gabriel Mec and Dominik Prpic left out of FC Porto's Champions squad | OneFootball

FC Porto announced that Gabriel Mec and Dominik Prpic have been left out of the squad list for the 2026/27 Champions League, a competition that marks the Dragons’ return after two seasons away.

Gabriel Mec, signed from Grêmio and only officially unveiled on Wednesday, was the main omission made by Francesco Farioli. The 18-year-old midfielder will now have adapting to Portuguese football as his priority, in what will be his first experience in European football.

The Italian coach’s decision is linked to the squad makeup, since List A already includes two other attacking midfielders and four wingers capable of performing similar roles to the Brazilian player.

As for Dominik Prpic, the Croatian centre-back has not yet taken part in any official match this season, so his absence did not come as a surprise, given the options available in the defensive sector.

Fourth in the centre-back pecking order, behind Bednarek, Kiwior and Nehuén Pérez, Prpic will also have to overcome competition from Pablo Rosario, a midfielder who was used on several occasions in that position last season.

The List A submitted on Wednesday could include a maximum of 17 non-homegrown players, within a total of 25 registered players. For that reason, FC Porto had to leave out two foreign players from the main squad.

Martim Fernandes, on the other hand, does not appear on the list because he meets the requirements to be registered through List B. This is intended for players who have been trained at the club for at least two years and were born on 1 January 2005 or later. The number of spots is unlimited, and players can be added throughout the league phase.

Farioli is therefore maintaining his faith in the recovery of Samu and Zaidu, both recovering from serious injuries and likely to miss part of the eight matches the Dragons will play.

FC Porto begin their 28th participation in Europe’s main club competition next Tuesday against English runners-up Manchester City at the Estádio do Dragão.

Winners of the competition in 1986/87 and 2003/04, FC Porto will compete for the first time in the new format, featuring a league phase. The top eight teams qualify directly for the round of 16, while the remaining places will be decided in the play-offs by the teams finishing between ninth and 24th. The bottom 12 clubs are automatically eliminated.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.