Manchester Utd vs FC Copenhagen prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-10-23 19:00.
A poignant evening awaits at Old Trafford, as Manchester United play their first home game since the passing of arguably their greatest ever player, Sir Bobby Charlton. A survivor of the Munich air disaster, Charlton scored 249 times in 758 appearances for the Red Devils, with his crowning moment coming in the 1968 European Cup success, netting twice as United beat Benfica 4-1 in the final.
There can be no better inspiration for the current generation of United players to try and salvage their faltering UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign, as Erik ten Hag’s men have no room for error after losing their first two matches in Group A. Ending a five-match winless streak in the UCL is therefore essential (D2, L3), and an unbeaten home record against Danish opposition (W3, D1) ahead of the visit of Copenhagen should instill confidence that United can win three consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time this season, following back-to-back 2-1 league successes over Brighton and most recently Sheffield United.
The Danish champions travel to Manchester having impressed in their first two UCL matches, but despite two admirable performances, Copenhagen have just one point to show for their efforts. Not since 2010/11 have the Lions progressed from the UCL group stage, and if they want that dismal record to change, victory at Old Trafford looks mandatory for Jacob Neestrup’s men.
Copenhagen are winless in the UCL group stage since 2016 though (D4, L4), while they’ve endured a torrid time against English opposition over the years, winning just one of their 13 such H2Hs (D5, L7). A patchy recent run of form hardly inspires confidence that they can improve on that return, as while Copenhagen retain their lead at the top of the Danish Superliga, they’ve won just one of their last four matches in all competitions (D1, L2).
Players to watch: Man Utd striker Rasmus Højlund began his senior career with Copenhagen, and he’ll be looking to haunt his former employers and build on his tally of three goals in two UCL appearances this term. Diogo Gonçalves will be looking to outshine him, with four of his seven goals this season coming in the 15 minutes either side of half-time.
Hot stat: Man Utd have conceded within six minutes of scoring on six occasions this season, four of which occurred in the UCL.