Manchester City vs Copenhagen Preview - 7/03/2024 - UEFA Champions League
Copenhagen was drawn against Manchester City in the Champions League round 16 clash. The last time that the reigning Champions of the League and the Danish club have faced each other was in October 11, 2022 in the Champions League Group Stage. The fixture ended in a goalless draw.
Now, the sides face off in the UCL last 16 clash, with the first leg initially scheduled for February 14 and the second leg for March 7.
Ahead of their UCL fixtures, Pep Guardiola's side has received a major boost as they welcomed back Kevin De Bruyne after months of being sidelined. The Belgium international is said to have recovered from his injury and is back in training with the squad. Last season, the City star was a significant part in the club's success in the UCL despite playing through an injury.
First leg between the sides ended in City's 3-1 win as Kevin de Bruyne provided two assists and scored one goal. Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva also got their names on the scoresheet.
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Manchester City vs Copenhagen Prediction - 7/03/2024 - UEFA Champions League
The clubs have faced each other four times in history. While their first fixture in 2009 and last match in 2022 have ended in draws, the Citizens dominated the other two games.
On October 5, 2022 Pep Guardiola's side secured a 5-0 victory against Copenhagen. The opening two goals of Haaland and a goal and penalty from Mahrez and Alvarez resulted in the significant win for the Manchester Blues.
In their respective groups in the UCL group stage, both clubs have achieved significant results. However, the pre-holiday season proved to be somehow challenging for the sides.
City has won just one of their last six Premier League matches, and despite their efforts, a stoppage-time equalizer from Palace in the latest attempt denied them victory. Meanwhile, Copenhagen has lost only two of their 12 European matches this season, boasting six wins and four draws.
Our early prediction is that Manchester City will celebrate a victory with a 3-0 score.
As we predicted, City did celebrate a victory with having scored 3 goals, however, they didn't keep a clean sheet. In the second leg Pep Guardiola's side will be hoping for another win and qualify for the next round.
City's current home form is two draws and three wins in the last five games. City at home have conceded less goals than in away games and scored more.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Copenhagen
Manchester City vs Copenhagen Team News
Copenhagen
FC Copenhagen achieved consecutive qualifications for the UEFA Champions League group stages after a six-year hiatus.
Recent stats show that the club has a tendency to play with a goal difference of 2.5 or more in matches against various opponents, irrespective of whether they are home or away. However, their recent performances in national tournaments have been less impressive, with a loss to Aarhus (1:2) in the Danish championship and elimination by Silkeborg in the quarterfinals of the Cup after two matches.
In the Champions League in Group A, they were pitted against Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Galatasaray. Their campaign began with a 2-2 draw against Galatasaray, featuring goals from Mohamed Elyounoussi and Diogo Goncalves, but a red card for Elias Jalert led to a late comeback by Galatasaray.
Despite a narrow 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich and another loss against Manchester United, Copenhagen's unbeaten end to the group stages, including a thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester United, a goalless draw with Bayern, and a 1-0 triumph over Galatasaray, secured their progress to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola's team is back on their tally of consecutive victories following squad reinforcements by the return of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. Currently, the Citizens are only 2 points behind Premier League table leaders Liverpool. This is a scenario that should be familiar to City's all rivals, as the club has been highly anticipated to surpass all in front of them to defend the champions title.
Manchester City began their European title defense with a 3-1 victory over Crvena Zvezda at the Etihad. Despite Crvena Zvezda taking the lead before halftime, City quickly turned things around in the second half. Julian Alvarez scored twice, equalizing in the 47th minute and then securing the lead in the 60th minute from a freekick. Rodri sealed the win with a splendid curling strike in the 73rd minute.
In their subsequent Group G match against RB Leipzig, City secured another 3-1 win. City continued their impressive form throughout the group stages, securing six wins from six games against Young Boys, RB Leipzig, and Crvena Zvezda.
In head-to-head statistics, Copenhagen and Manchester City have faced each other four times, with Copenhagen securing two draws and City winning two matches, scoring a total of 9 goals compared to Copenhagen's 3.
Manchester City vs Copenhagen Predicted Lineups
FC Copenhagen: Grabara; Ankersen, Diks, Vavro, Jelert; Goncalves, Falk, Claesson; Elyounoussi, Bardghji, Achouri
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden
Manchester City vs Copenhagen Head-to-Head
Games played: 5
- City wins: 3
- Draws: 2
- Copenhagen wins: 0
11v11 results:
- Man City 5 - 0 Copenhagen (UEFA Champions League)
- Copenhagen 0 - 0 Man City (UEFA Champions League)
- Copenhagen 1-3 Man City (UEFA Champions Legague)
Latest form in the Champions League:
- Copenhagen: W D W L L L
- Manchester City: W W W W W W
Latest form in all competitions:
- Copenhagen: L W W L W
- Manchester City: W W W W D
Manchester City vs Copenhagen Injury and Suspension list
Copenhagen Injury list:
- Davit Khocohlava - Knee problems
- Theo Sander - Knee surgery
- Lukas Lerager: Red card suspension
Manchester City injury list:
- Jack Grealish - Groin/Hip/Pelvic Injury
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Where to watch Manchester City vs Copenhagen
- Australia: Stan Sport
- Brazil: HBO Max
- Spain: Movistar+, Movistar Liga de Campeones 2
- UK: BTSport.com, BT Sport App, BT Sport 2
- USA: VIX+, Paramount+
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