FC Copenhagen vs Bayern Munich prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-10-02 19:00.
After letting a 2-0 lead slip in the final minutes of the game to draw in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) opener, Copenhagen now face a mammoth task to build on that point against six-time European champions Bayern Munich. The hosts took another hit with a 2-0 domestic defeat against Midtjylland in the Danish Superliga, allowing their would-be chasers the opportunity to cut the gap.
Last season, Copenhagen were paired with Dortmund and picked up just a point across their two meetings in a pair of games which served to extend their rotten winless record against German opponents to 12 games (D4, L8). Just one of those draws came at home (D1, L5), suggesting Copenhagen will need a miracle if they’re to set about bettering their bottom-placed finish in three of their last five UCL groups.
Much like their hosts, Bayern also head into this on the back of a frustrating domestic draw against Leipzig over the weekend. Granted, the Bavarians came back from two goals down to claim a point, yet the perennial German champions were left third in the early standings as a result. They may feel more confident against Danish opponents then, having won five of their six games against such sides (W5, L1).
Qualifying from the group stage is nothing but a formality for Bayern in truth, who have featured in the knockout stages of every UCL edition since 2008/09. They’ve done that by putting together a UCL-record 35-game unbeaten run of group games (W32, D3) and another record of 14 straight wins in the group phase, a run which was bookended by their fantastic 4-3 win over Manchester United in round one.
Key battle: Copenhagen keeper Kamil Grabara has conceded exactly twice in four of his last five appearances and is set for a preview of what he will face next year in this game, ahead of his confirmed move to Wolfsburg in 2024. One man he has to watch out for is Bayern and England star Harry Kane, who has scored seven goals across his last five appearances for club & country, and won’t be massively popular in these parts after knocking Denmark out of EURO 2020!
Hot stat: Six of Bayern’s last eight UCL away victories came with a clean sheet.