FC Copenhagen vs Man City Match Analysis & Prediction
13/02/2024 11:00 pm
Manchester City resume their Champions League title defence on Tuesday night, as they travel to Parken to face FC Copenhagen in the last-16 first leg.
The Citizens brished aside the competition in Group G to finish top of the section, while their hosts sneaked into second place in Group A behind Bayern Munich.
Capitalising on Manchester United’s prolonged misfortune, Copenhagen only picked up one point from their opening three Champions League matches in 2023-24, but an unforeseen three-game unbeaten run from November to December secured Jacob Neestrup’s side a ticket to the last 16.
Narrow victories over Man United and Galatasaray came either side of a creditable goalless draw with group winners Bayern, and the German champions’ matchday six beating of the Red Devils ensured at least a spot in the Europa League for Copenhagen, who extended their Champions League campaign as Lukas Lerager scored the only goal against Galatasaray.
Only once before have Copenhagen competed in the knockout stages of the Champions League, coincidentally losing to English opposition in the form of Chelsea in the 2010-11 last 16, suffering a 2-0 home defeat before clinging on for a creditable away draw at Stamford Bridge.
Copenhagen’s second bite at the knockout cherry comes at a time where inconsistency has plagued them domestically, as they entered the Superliga winter break on the back of a three-game winless run, dropping to third in the table on account of back-to-back defeats to Viborg and AGF.
RB Leipzig, Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade would be the teams attempting to quell the Pep Guardiola juggernaut in the group stage of the Champions League, but their efforts were fruitless, as Man City breezed into the last 16 with a maximum total of 18 points on the board.
A 3-2 victory over Red Star on the final matchday in Group G extended Man City’s winning run in the Champions League to eight matches, the longest run for an English side in the tournament’s history.
Since following up that nervy victory with a 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace, Man City have reverted to type with a 10-game winning run across all competitions, briefly sitting atop their Premier League perch on Saturday following Erling Haaland’s brace in a 2-0 win over Everton.
FC Copenhagen vs. Man City Head to head
In the four previous meetings between these two teams, Man City have claimed two victories while they have drawn in two.
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19/02/2009FC Copenhagen2Manchester City2Europa League
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26/02/2009Manchester City2FC Copenhagen1Europa League
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05/10/2022Manchester City5FC Copenhagen0Champions League
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11/10/2022FC Copenhagen0Manchester City0Champions League
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13/02/2024FC CopenhagenN/AManchester CityN/AChampions League
FC Copenhagen Team News
After scoring the goal which sent Copenhagen through the knockout stage against Galatasaray, midfielder Lerager was banished from the field for two bookable offences, ruling him out of the first leg through a ban.
Rasmus Falk, Viktor Claesson and Oscar Hojlund are all options to deputise for Lerager, who joins the injured Davit Khocholava (knee) and Theo Sander (knee) on the sidelines.
FC Copenhagen's Last 5 Matches
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16/01/2024Rangers2FC Copenhagen2Club Friendlies
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20/01/2024Sparta Prague2FC Copenhagen0Club Friendlies
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04/02/2024Elfsborg4FC Copenhagen5The Atlantic Cup
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05/02/2024FC Copenhagen1Brondby2The Atlantic Cup
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08/02/2024FC Copenhagen3Molde1The Atlantic Cup
Man City Team News
Man City make the trip without a single injured or suspended player to rue the absence of, although Ruben Dias was booked twice in the group stage and will therefore miss the second leg if he is cautioned here.
Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne should all return to the side after entering Saturday’s game as substitutes.
Man City's Last 5 Matches
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13/01/2024Newcastle United2Manchester City3Premier League
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26/01/2024Tottenham Hotspur0Manchester City1FA Cup
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31/01/2024Manchester City3Burnley1Premier League
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05/02/2024Brentford1Manchester City3Premier League
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10/02/2024Manchester City2Everton0Premier League
FC Copenhagen vs. Man City: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
1X2: 2
Best Odds
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