Porto v Manchester City: Froholdt out, three options in midfield | OneFootball

Froholdt started all six of FC Porto’s matches this season, but he will miss the home game against Manchester City, leaving an opening in midfield. With this Monday being the only training session available to prepare for the match, after a Sunday devoted mainly to recovery, Francesco Farioli will have to choose who will partner Gabri Veiga. Inbeom, Fofana and Pablo Rosario appear to be the most likely options.

If the choice falls on the Dominican, Alan Varela is expected to take up the deeper role. Fofana, because of his characteristics, seems the most natural solution, although doubts remain over his physical condition to start a match of this level. Inbeom is another alternative, after the good signs he showed in his appearances off the bench.

FC Porto face Manchester City on Tuesday at 8pm, in the opening round of the Champions League league phase.

Froholdt recovers at home with the clásico in mind

The incident ultimately turned out to be “only” a major scare, but Froholdt will have to spend a few days without training and, naturally, without competing. The Danish midfielder has already been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home, accompanied by the blue-and-white structure, his girlfriend and his brother Hjalte. His absence against Manchester City is certain and, as a precaution, he should also be left out against Casa Pia, with the aim of being available for the clássico against Benfica. By then, two weeks will have passed since the concussion he suffered in the final moments of the match against Moreirense, allowing full compliance with the protocol defined by UEFA for these situations.

The midfielder lost consciousness after a collision with Liberato. Bednarek immediately placed him in the “recovery position” in order to keep his airways clear, before the player was taken to São João Hospital in Porto. He arrived conscious and in good spirits, and the tests carried out, repeated yesterday morning, confirmed a mild traumatic brain injury, ruling out more serious concerns. Froholdt also scored 15 points, the maximum score, on the “Glasgow Scale”, used to assess level of consciousness. “Thank you all for the support. I’m fine and already feeling much better. I can’t wait to get back on the pitch with the team,” he wrote on social media.

Recovery requires caution and rest, and the “Gradual Return to Play” protocol has already been started, made up of several stages until the player is considered fit. That process can never be completed in fewer than six days. If everything progresses favorably, he may be able to do some work on the pitch tomorrow, although without contact drills. The return to that type of activity should only happen, at best, on Thursday. If the indicators are positive, FC Porto will inform UEFA that the player is fit to return to competition. Theoretically, that could happen against Casa Pia, but caution is likely to advise postponing his return to the pitch.

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