Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday opened the door a tiny crack to debating his Republican opponent, Marc Molinaro — but only after providing a raft of excuses why he hasn’t committed to a face-off for an election less than three weeks away.

The two-term governor’s about-face came with little notice after The New York Post ran a front-page photo for the second day in a row that featured a photo illustration of Cuomo in a chicken-suit to highlight his continued refusal to debate his opponent.

“I am here, you want to call me tomorrow, I will be here. If you want to do it with Mr. Molinaro, I will be here. If you want to moderate a discussion I will be here,” Cuomo said on WCBS radio.

“You wanna do it same time, same place, I’m here.”

The Governor made the statement after the WCBS radio hosts repeatedly pressed him about his refusal to debate.

Cuomo also set a condition: “There has to be a moderator who keeps the conversation relatively substantive rather than what has been happening.”

“Otherwise,” added Cuomo, “I have to go see my daughter” because it is parents day at her university.

While the Cuomo campaign did not provide specifics, his statements would mean the debate would air at 8 a.m. Saturady — apparently only on the radio.

Molinaro immediately rejected the out-of-the-blue idea.

“On what planet does the incumbent Governor get to dictate that voters come crawling to him at 8 o’clock on a Saturday morning with no notice,” Molinaro said. “It’s a staged fraud on the taxpayers of New York.”

“The Governor is trying to check a box so he doesn’t have a chicken suit on the cover of the New York Post for the next week. I am not going to be part of a fraud. It’s a fraud to suggest the voters have some benefit from a last minute scheduling.”

New York voters would be among the few in the country not to hear their gubernatorial candidates debate this year. Even in states where the frontrunners have commanding leads, voters have still gotten debates, The Post reported Friday.

“Debates help inform an electorate, they give voters the opportunity to see the candidates,” said Doug Muzzio, a professor of public affairs at Baruch College — CUNY.

“Not having debates is a disservice to democracy.”

Cuomo’s about-face came at the end of his second radio interview Friday morning. Before that, he spent time on WINS trashing the idea of debating Molinaro.

“My opponent hasn’t put forward any significant ideas. He invited hate groups to speak in New York,” Cuomo said earlier to explain his ducking.

He pointed out that Molinaro didn’t debate his GOP opponent — but he dropped out in April, well before either party’s endorsement conventions or the September primary.

Then Cuomo reached back as far back as 1998 to point out that then-Gov. George Pataki wouldn’t give a stage to Democratic rival Peter Vallone.

Cuomo’s own father, Mario, refused to debate Pataki one-on-one in 1994 as he mounted a failed bid for a record fourth term.

Cuomo also repeatedly attacked The Post, for questioning his refusal to debate.

“The New York Post is very good at playing politics,” Cuomo said, ignoring the other newspapers around the state also calling for a debate.

In 2010 and 2014, Cuomo agreed to debate only if the stages were filled with third-party gadflies to ensure the attacks wouldn’t be entirely focused on him.

And that appears to be his game plan for 2018.

“There are multiple candidates. The campaigns are talking about it,” he said, despite the fact that both NY1 and the League of Women Voters have offered to host debates.

“It’s not easy,” the governor concluded.

“Marc Molinaro said he would debate the governor any time and any place, yet when push came to shove he refused to accept WCBS’ invitation to do so,” said Cuomo campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith, attacking Molinario’s refusal to attend a debate offered with less than 24 hours notice.

She declined to comment on Molinario’s proposal to debate on WCBS or the invitation from the League.