Copenhagen vs Man City Match Preview
Copenhagen host Man City in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night as the competition’s knockout stages begin. The two sides are meeting for the third time after being drawn together in the same group in the 2022/23 season.
Copenhagen finished 2nd in their group after being the favorites to be the bottom-placed side once the draws were done. They edged past Galatasaray and Manchester United to finish behind Bayern Munich in the group stage.
Manchester City eased into the Round of 16 by winning all their matches in the group stage. They scored 18 times in the six matches and just seven – managing to keep a clean sheet just once.
Pep Guardiola’s side are the heavy favorites to make it to the quarterfinals, but Copenhagen are looking to be the giant killers of the tournament. They have already sent one side from Manchester crashing out and are looking to make it a double in the Round of 16.
Manchester City have never lost to a Danish side in the European competition. This is just the second time Copenhagen have made it this far in the UEFA Champions League – they were eliminated by Chelsea when they last made it to the Round of 16.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Roony Bardghji will be the focus at Copenhagen, and a few scouts from top clubs across Europe will be present in the stadium to keep a close eye on him. The youngster has been in fine form and will be looking to cause trouble to Manchester City’s defense.
Copenhagen have included Alex Runarsson and Scott McKenna after they joined the club in January. Another player to keep an eye on would be Oscar Hojlund, whose brother Rasmus plays for City’s derby rivals Manchester United.
However, Davit Khocholava and Theo Sander are out of action for the first leg. Lukas Lerager is suspended for the home side, and he, too, will have to watch from the stands. Birger Meling remains doubtful.
Predicted XI: Grabara; Ankersen, Diks, Vavro, Jelert; Goncalves, Falk, Claesson; Elyounoussi, Bardghji, Achouri
Manchester City are set to go into the game with a full-strength squad. They did not have any players off on international duty for AFCON or the AFC Asian Cup, so they were all training together for the last few weeks.
Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic have slight knocks to deal with but are expected to make the matchday squad. As mentioned earlier in the article, Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne are back from their injuries and will be ready to start the match.
Predicted XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden
Head-to-Head & Prediction
Last 5 Games H2H
Copenhagen 0-0 Manchester City
Manchester City 5-0 Copenhagen
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a goalless draw and the Danish side would take a similar result this week. However, the Cityzens will be looking to replicate the 5-0 win they had over Copenhagen in the 2022/23 season and all-but seal a place in the next Round before the return leg.
Also Read: Man City vs Everton- Erling Haaland Haaland Double Sends Hosts Top, De Bruyne Shines.
Prediction:
Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne are back for Manchester City and they have made Guardiola’s side stronger than ever. The duo have already started combining well on the pitch and were in sync as the Cityzens beat Everton at the weekend.
Even without the duo, Manchester City are on a stunning winning run and have not lost since Aston Villa beat them in December. They have won all their matches in 2024 and are looking to keep the run going.
Copenhagen have not been at their best and are in a topsy-turvy form. They have won two and lost two of their last five matches in all competitions.
They were involved in the Atlantic Cup – a tournament held for clubs who have no league matches in January – and they finished 4th in the competition. They managed to collect six points from the available nine, just like second-placed Real Salt Lake but had conceded too many goals, and thus, their goal difference saw them pushed down the table.
Now, all of a sudden, they need to focus on the biggest club competition in Europe, and they are up against the Premier League giants. They will find it hard to make an impact in the game and could be thrashed at home in the first leg.
Copenhagen 0-4 Manchester City
Also Read: RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid Preview, Prediction and Betting Tips
Betting Tips
- Manchester City win or Draw.
- Over 4.5 Cards: Yes.
- Over 2.5 Goals: Yes.
Odds
- Copenhagen Win: 14.50
- Draw: 6.80
- Manchester City Win: 1.27
Copenhagen vs Man City Timings & Telecast
- Date & Time: Saturday, February 13th at 8:00 PM (GMT)
- India – Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV app & website
- UK – TNT Sports
- USA – CBS Sports