Rakow (Pol) vs FC Copenhagen (Den) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-08-21 19:00.
Raków are hoping to take another major step forward in their historic season by reaching the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stages for the first time. The Polish club beat Aris Limassol 3-1 over two legs in the third qualifying round, including a draining away leg in hot and humid conditions. It was a result that already means they have secured the cosnsolation prize of UEFA Europa League group stage football should they come up short in their play-off round tie against Copenhagen.
The journey to this tie continues a remarkable few months for Dawid Szwarga’s side, who lifted their maiden Ekstraklasa title last season to book their spot in these UCL qualifiers. That was followed by a European adventure in which they have won five of their six matches (D1), and they will be attempting to extend that run by stretching their unbeaten run on home soil to half a dozen outings (W4, D1), having scored at least two goals in each of the previous five games.
They may find life tough against their more experienced Danish opponents, whose appearance in the 2022/23 UCL group stage was the fifth in their history, although they failed to win a single match (D3, L3). Jacob Neestrup’s side will be desperate to make up for that this time around, and he admits he’s “proud” that they have come this far after defeating Sparta Prague on penalties in the third qualifying round.
The Lions followed that up by beating Hvidovre 2-0 at the weekend, maintaining their 100% record of five wins from five in the Superliga. Neestrup afforded some of his senior players a day off, handing them a well earned rest as they prepare for this more important clash, where they’ll be looking to improve on their poor record of just three wins from their previous eight UCL play-off ties.
Key battle: Raków midfielder Fran Tudor has netted the opening goal in six of his last 11 goalscoring appearances, including in the second and third round of UCL qualifying, remaining unbeaten across those games (W10, D1). Forward Diogo Gonçalves also has an enviable record when getting on the scoresheet, finishing on the winning side in 17 of the last 20 club games in which he has found the net (L3).
Hot stat: Raków have never lost a home game in European football (W7, D2).