Champions League: Copenhagen wants to set a new trap for Manchester City

With the recent return of his stars, Pep Guardiola seems to have a golden opportunity to put himself on the royal road to win a new big-eared cup. But faced with a club of Danish diehards, the mission promises to be much more complicated than it may seem. At home, the Copenhagen players are clearly not an easy team to bring down.

Currently third in the Danish championship, the men coached by Jacob Neestrup hope to continue their good European momentum. Having fallen into one of the toughest groups of this edition with Galatasaray, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, the FC Copenhagen players finished in second place just behind the Bavarian ogre. From the first meeting, they brought back a precious point from their trip to Turkey (2-2) before the disappointments continued. Beaten by Bayern (2-1) and Manchester United (1-0) then, the Danes saw their chances of reaching the round of 16 slip away.

But one evening in November, on the pitch of a packed Parken Stadium, everything was back on track. At the end of a completely crazy comeback against the helpless Red Devils (4-3), the whole group was pushed by their audience to achieve the unthinkable. Then, with a draw against Bayern (0-0) then a victory against Galatasaray (1-0), the club found itself in the final phase of the Champions League for the second time in its history.

Except that on the other hand, Pep Guardiola and his team continue to gain momentum after a lackluster start to the season. Disturbed by the injuries of several of his executives, the Spanish coach had to adapt so as not to be completely lost. In the league, the Skyblues are coming back strong on the heels of Liverpool, who want to do everything to offer one last great gift to Jürgen Klopp. With a flawless performance so far in C1, the Citizens will therefore travel to Parken Stadium with full confidence. But the history of confrontations does not necessarily work in their favor.

In 2009 and then in 2022, Manchester City players failed to win on the Copenhagen pitch. But on the other hand, the Danes have always lost in the lair of the Skyblues. Will this year be an exception to the rule? Nothing is less certain. With only two victories in their last five matches, FC Copenhagen will play big against the reigning European champions. Once again pushed by its public, the club from the Danish capital hopes to add the scalp of a new big team to its collection this season. To create this new feat, what could be better than betting on the carefreeness and enthusiasm of youth?

With Roony Bardghji (18 years old), Emil Hojlund (19 years old) and Orri Oskarsson (19 years old), the Danish attack has something to surprise the Manchester defense. The youngest starter and youngest scorer in the Champions League in the history of FC Copenhagen, Bardghji intends to be talked about once again on Tuesday evening. Supported by more experienced players like striker Andreas Cornelius (30 years old) or Mohamed Elyounoussi (29 years old), the young Swede will have to turn the heads of the Mancunian defense for Copenhagen to continue their fairy tale. The Danish defense will also have to hold up against one of the best attacks in Europe which is slowly but surely getting back on the right track.

Having been absent from the field for a long time, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland should be present on the pitch at Parken Stadium at kick-off. The Norwegian giant, who scored twice this weekend in the league, seems perfectly recovered from his broken foot. To serve him, the Belgian conductor of this team is also in the process of regaining all his sensations, like his scorer. Author of a nice pass for his Norwegian striker after his entry on the hour mark this weekend, the midfielder is ready to shine.

Undefeated since the start of their European campaign as well as since the start of 2024, the Skyblues have no intention of being jostled during this round of 16 first leg. After dominating Europe last season, their new season really begins this Tuesday evening (9 p.m.) with a squad finally at full strength. But be careful not to trip on the first step for this formation which took a long time to arrive at this starting line.