The defence of Manchester City’s Champions League crown resumes on Tuesday evening, as the Citizens take a Scandinavian sojourn to meet Copenhagen in Tuesday’s last-16 first leg.

Pep Guardiola’s team won Group G, while their hosts finished second in Group A behind Bayern Munich. Copenhagen took advantage of Manchester United’s prolonged agony to win one point in their first three Champions League games in 2023-24, but Jacob Neestrup’s team qualified for the last 16 after an unexpected three-match undefeated streak from November to December.

Nordic club only competed in Champions League knockout rounds, losing 2-0 home to Chelsea in 2010-11 last 16 before drawing 2-2 at Stamford Bridge. After a three-match losing streak and losses to Viborg and AGF, lowered Copenhagen to third in the Superliga, they get their second opportunity at the knockout 13 years later. Lerager, was sent off for two bookable offences after scoring the goal that propelled Copenhagen to the knockout phase against Galatasaray and he is sure to miss Tuesday’s first leg.

Copenhagen hosted the mid-season Atlantic Cup earlier this month, a tournament comprising teams from nations without league commitments at the start of February. Neestrup’s men finished fourth, scoring six points out of nine. Manchester City fans may have joked while seeing their hated rivals fall 4-3 to Copenhagen in the group round, but on Tuesday night, the defending winners League winners will aim to defeat another foe during their traditional second-season push.

After that nerve-wracking win and a 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace, Manchester City has gone on a 10-game winning streak in all competitions, briefly topping the Premier League table on Saturday thanks to Erling Haaland’s brace in a 2-0 win over Everton. Man City has not been eliminated from the Champions League in the last 16 since Guardiola’s first season in 2016-17, and they defeated Copenhagen 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the 2022-23 group stage despite drawing their only two visits to Copenhagen.

Copenhagen Team News

Rasmus Falk, Viktor Claesson, and 19-year-old Oscar Hojlund – brother of Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund – are all options to fill in for Lerager, who joins the injured Davit Khocholava (knee) and Theo Sander (knee) on the sidelines, while Birger Meling’s muscular injury makes the left-back questionable.

Ex-Arsenal custodian Alex Runarsson and Nottingham Forest loanee Scott McKenna have both made Copenhagen’s knockout squad since their January arrivals, and a few eyes will be on much-coveted 18-year-old Roony Bardghji, who scored his side’s fourth goal in their seven-goal thriller against Manchester United.

Manchester City Team News

While Copenhagen has a number of issues to address, Manchester City will go to the Danish capital without Josko Gvardiol, Sergio Gomez, or Mateo Kovacic, though it is unclear whether they have been injured or simply overlooked.

Ruben Dias is one booking away from a European ban, but the Portuguese’s balancing act will have minimal influence on Guardiola’s decision, and after the definitive ‘Pep roulette’ came into play against Everton, a few alterations should be in store for the champions this week.

Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne should all return after coming in as substitutes in Saturday’s game, while a rejuvenated Haaland leads the push after scoring 50 goals in 50 Premier League starts, setting a new competition record.

Head-To-Head

The two teams have faced each other only 4 times with the last two encounters being in the group stage of last year’s Champions League. The Citizens have beaten Copenhagen twice and drew on other two occasions.

Predicted Lineups

Copenhagen: Grabara; Ankersen, Diks, Vavro, Jelert; Goncalves, Falk, Claesson; Elyounoussi, Bardghji, Achouri

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Ake; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden

Predicted Score
Copenhagen 1-4 Manchester City

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