Manchester City vs FC Copenhagen prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-03-05 20:00.
UEFA Champions League holders Manchester City warmed up for the second leg of their last 16 tie against Copenhagen with a stirring come-from-behind victory over arch-rivals Manchester United. That made it 19 matches unbeaten across all competitions (W17, D2), and as their attention turns back to Europe, a place in the quarter-finals beckons for Pep Guardiola’s men after they won the first leg 3-1 in Denmark.
That made it seven wins out of seven in this season’s competition, in which they remarkably scored exactly three goals on each occasion! That winning streak looks unlikely to end anytime soon given that City are unbeaten in a whopping 29 European matches at the Etihad Stadium (W27, D2). Champions League nights on this ground have therefore become very comfortable, as en route to the final last season, City scored 14 goals without reply on home soil during the knockout stage!
Copenhagen face arguably the most daunting trip in European football on just their second-ever appearance at the last 16 stage, and the difficulty was not lost on head coach Jacob Neestrup when he described Manchester City as the toughest possible opposition prior to the first leg. If the Lions are to pull off one of the Champions League’s greatest ever upsets, they’ll need to win away at an English club for the first time after seven failed attempts previously (D2, L5).
Neestrup’s men find history firmly against them on that front, as they’ve won just one of their last 15 away matches in the Champions League proper (D4, L10). That includes a 5-0 drubbing on this ground in last season’s group stage, and having been beaten 2-0 at Midtjylland to lose ground in their own title race at the weekend, confidence may not be high among the travelling contingent.
Players to watch: A brace against United on Sunday took Phil Foden’s career-best seasonal goal tally to 18. Five of the last six have come after half-time, including one in the first leg. With injury doubts surrounding other attackers, Elias Achouri could make the impact for Copenhagen having scored and assisted in their last victory.
Hot stat: Man City are unbeaten in an English record 21 European matches (W16, D5).