It's true, muses Sergio, all airports do start to look the same after a while. Luckily there's not much chance of getting lost in Manchester.

The boss is wary of whether this yucca plant can hide a lurking member of the paparazzi.

Gareth effortlessly pulls off the pretending-to-be-on-the-phone-to-look-busy trick, and Joe approves.

Sergio delights this opportunistic autograph hunter.

The City posse go for mean and moody, but the suitcases on wheels effect undermines the menace a bit.

Vincent gets the lowdown on the latest advances in telecommunications technology.

Samir has that last-minute passport panic, but John from security is there in a flash while cameraphoneman spots an opportunity.

Mario helps out with that last-minute overhead locker check.

The lads take a quick look at the Estadio do Dragao after de-planing, but James is about to get the big hook into the pre-match press conference.

Brandon gets his bearings in ther makeshift kit-room. Imagine how much they take on the pre-season tour...

Aleks rues his choice of moisturiser.

Brian's perked up after getting his regulation morning cuppa.

No European trip would be complete without a Mike Summerbee sighting, and here he is! Looks like the surroundings agree with Buzzer.

A welcome sight - Kolo Toure in a City kit and training with his team-mates.

Aleks makes the most of the sunny weather, but Stefan says there's work to be done.

Sergio's levitating act impresses Samir and Yaya.

A rare on-camera smile from Mario as Samir defuses another potentially explosive training ground bust-up!

Another sight we're happy to see - Mario on the ball and ready to go.