Copenhagen vs Man City LIVE: Champions League team news, line-ups and more tonight as Jack Grealish starts


Manchester City travel to Denmark this evening as they face FC Copenhagen in the first knockout round of this season’s Champions League.

Pep Guardiola’s team swept confidently through Group G winning all six of their matches and scoring 18 goals. In fact, City scored three times in each of their group stage games, a stat Guardiola would love to bring into the knockout rounds. The reigning champions are currently on a 10-game winning streak across all competitions and look well set to defend their European title.

Copenhagen are a surprise package though. They finished second in a group containing Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Manchester United, ultimately knocking the City’s local rivals out of the competition entirely.

However, Erling Haaland is back to his goalscoring best and playmaker extraordinaire Kevin De Bruyne had fully recovered from a hamstring injury that meant his missed the group stages. Haaland scored five goals in as many games, and with De Bruyne as his supplier City look even more threatening than they were in the first part of the competition.

Follow all the action from Copenhagen plus get the latest odds and tips right here:

Copenhagen vs Man City LIVE

FC Copenhagen host Manchester City in the Champions League last-16 with kick off at 8pm

City won all six of their group stage games and are the big favourites to win in Denmark

Copenhagen finished second in Group A behind Bayern Munich

Copenhagen XI: Grabara; McKenna, Vavro, Diks, Jelert; Mattsson, Falk, Goncalves; Elyounoussi, Claesson, Achouri

Man City XI: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake; Rodri, De Bruyne; Bernardo, Foden, Grealish; Haaland

FC København – Manchester City FC

Pre-match thoughts from Pep Guardiola

19:55 , Mike Jones

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on facing FC Copenhagen: “We have seen what Copenhagen can do against Manchester United and Galatasaray in a really tough group. When I saw what they did I thought ‘wow’.

“They will be starving to compete and full of energy. I don’t know what their rhythm will be like but hopefully we will be at a good level to compete.

“We have to be prepared mentally. We have to be ready to suffer as it will be a tight game. Normally, my gut doesn’t lie to me.”

Copenhagen vs Man City

19:50 , Mike Jones

This is FC Copenhagen’s first competitive game since qualifying from the group stage nine weeks ago. The Danish Superliga will resume this weekend after a long winter break.

Copenhagen vs Man City

19:45 , Mike Jones

The two teams are meeting for the second time in as many Champions League campaigns.

City took four points off Copenhagen in last season’s group stage, Erling Haaland scoring the first two goals in Manchester on Matchday 3. A Davit Khocholava own goal stretched the lead before the break, with the win rounded off by second-half strikes from Riyad Mahrez and Julián Álvarez.

A week later the teams drew 0-0 at Parken, the first points City had dropped in last season’s competition. Mahrez missed a 25th-minute penalty for the visitors, who had Sergio Gómez sent off five minutes later.

Only miracle or disaster can stop Pep Guardiola from defending his Champions League crown

19:40 , Mike Jones

It is the task that awaits Copenhagen now. Perhaps it will be the challenge for one or more of the European giants – Bayern Munich or Barcelona, Real Madrid or Internazionale, Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal – in a quarter-final, a semi-final or a final.

How do you stop Pep Guardiola from retaining the Champions League? Because so far in his career, it has taken a volcano and a footballing miracle.

For much of the last seven years, the focus was on whether and when Guardiola could secure Manchester City’s first Champions League and how, amid a series of disappointments, his infamous overthinking contributed to their inability to do so.

Yet put Guardiola in the position of defending champion and it has required the remarkable to halt him. In the years after his two previous European glories, he was not undone by his own errors as much as by greater forces.

Only miracle or disaster can stop Pep Guardiola in the Champions League

Guardiola on returning to Parken

19:35 , Mike Jones

“I have been here with the national team against Denmark and it is so tough, the crowd are so close and imagine two months without games, the crowd will want to be at the football,” said City boss Pep Guardiola.

“I have huge respect. I said to the players this morning you have to prepare mentally and be ready to suffer. It will be a tight, tight game 100% – I feel it – and normally my guts don’t lie to me!”

Guardiola urges patience from Haaland ahead of Champions League return

19:30 , Mike Jones

Pep Guardiola has told Erling Haaland to relax and focus on his body language ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League return.

The Norwegian recently returned after a two-month foot injury, bagging two goals against Everton at the weekend.

Guardiola feels the striker is too distracted with adding to his goal tally, and needs to relax more.

Copenhagen vs Man City

19:25 , Mike Jones

Pep Guardiola is visiting Parken for the fourth time in his career.

The first time was as a player for Spain in 1993 in the World Cup Qualification ahead of the 1994 World Cup but Denmark won the match 1-0.

The next time was as a coach for Barcelona when they drew 1-1 with Copenhagen in 2010.

The third time was last season when Man City drew 0-0 here. Will Guardiola finally get his first victory here tonight?

Copenhagen vs Man City

19:20 , Mike Jones

Copenhagen have drawn their previous two Uefa club competition matches at home against Manchester City. Those games were: 2-2 in 2008/09 Uefa Cup round of 32 and 0-0 in the 2022/23 Uefa Champions League group stage.

Round of 16 fixtures

19:15 , Mike Jones

Here’s a reminder of all the games coming up in the last-16:

Tonight

FC Copenhagen v Man City (Second leg – Wednesday 6 March)

RB Leipzig v Real Madrid (Second leg – Wednesday 6 March)

Wednesday 14 February

Lazio v Bayern Munich (Second leg – Tuesday 5 March)

Paris St-Germain v Real Sociedad (Second leg – Tuesday 5 March)

Tuesday 20 February

Inter Milan v Atletico Madrid (Second leg – Wednesday 13 March)

PSV Eindhoven v Borussia Dortmund (Second leg – Wednesday 13 March)

Wednesday 21 February

Porto v Arsenal (Second leg – Tuesday 12 March)

Napoli v Barcelona (Second leg – Tuesday 12 March)

Last time out in the Champions League

19:10 , Mike Jones

Manchester City’s last fixture of the group stages came against Red Star Belgrade.

Debutant Micah Hamilton and a fine individual effort from Oscar Bobb saw them take a comfortable lead before the hosts pulled one back. Kalvin Phillips then added a third from the penalty spot to make it 3-1 before a second goal for Red Star set up a grandstand finish.

As for Copenhagen, they won 1-0 at home to Galatasaray in their final Group A match to secure second place and qualify for the knockout stages.

Guardiola on Haaland’s performance vs Everton

19:05 , Mike Jones

Pep Guardiola spoke about Erling Haaland’s display against Everton at the weekend in which the forward scored twice following a quiet first half.

“Erling is young, playing in the most difficult position on the pitch surrounded by four or five players with minor space,” Guardiola said.

“In the first half maybe we didn’t have the special delivery players, like Kevin [de Bruyne] for example, who can find him.

“In that moment he has to be positive. When he scored a goal he reacted, but he doesn’t need to score because he helps us for many things.”

The fear behind Champions League’s ‘turning point’ and football’s trepidation in 2024

19:00 , Mike Jones

There are some nerves at the top level of football as a new year starts and they aren’t all related to the usual concerns.

Many might say an “unusual concern” perfectly describes the prospect of England finally winning a tournament. Gareth Southgate’s side are seen as the likely Euro 2024 winners by the majority of the field, at least outside of France.

It’s a sense of expectation, rather than just optimism, that is new even for this manager’s time. That’s partly because England have something new in the team’s modern history in a player like Jude Bellingham.

He can crown himself as the best player in the world in 2024, while making England the best team in Europe. This might be his year. This might just be it.

The Champions League’s ‘turning point’ and football’s trepidation in 2024

Neestrup on facing City

18:55 , Mike Jones

Copenhagen coach Jacob Neestrup explained what it is like to come up against Manchester City saying: “We know that Manchester City are a really, really good team, but just like Bayern, Manchester United and Galatasaray, their players are only human.

“So we play knowing we have a chance of winning, and it goes without saying that our stadium will be rocking.”

Manchester City team changes

18:50 , Mike Jones

Pep Guardiola makes four changes to the Man City team that started the match against Everton at the weekend. Kyle Walker returns to the back line with Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish all slotting into the midfield.

Manuel Akanji, Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku and Julian Alvarez all drop out.

Man City line-up

18:47 , Mike Jones

Copenhagen XI: Grabara; McKenna, Vavro, Diks, Jelert; Mattsson, Falk, Goncalves; Elyounoussi, Claesson, Achouri

Man City XI: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake; Rodri, De Bruyne; Bernardo, Foden, Grealish; Haaland

Tonight’s squad in 🇩🇰

XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Stones, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Haaland

SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Doku, Alvarez, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Wright, Susoho, Lewis#ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/jE78xUkmHT

— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 13, 2024

Predictable Champions League has lost its magic —and now faces an uncertain future

18:40 , Mike Jones

As the players return for the Champions League knockouts this week, there’s a question being discussed by their bosses that is more engaging than who might win the competition. The latter, after all, feels even more predictable than last season.

That is why club executives have recently been talking about the potential fallout of December’s European Super League decision and exploring one potential consequence.

If someone went to Uefa and came up with a competition that raised half the prize money but guaranteed historic mid-tier clubs such as Celtic, Benfica and PSV Eindhoven had a better chance of winning it, would they take the leap? Should that not be what they are looking to do now?

Predictable Champions League has lost its magic —and now faces an uncertain future

Copenhagen vs Man City

18:35 , Mike Jones

Copenhagen’s victory against Galatasaray on the last day of the group stages was also their most recent competitive game. Friendlies and the Atlantic Cup have kept them occupied in recent weeks but will they go into this clash against the European champions undercooked?

City, meanwhile, won the Club World Cup final in December which brought them a fifth trophy of the calendar year and made them the first English club to achieve that feat. That victory was also the second of in an ongoing run of 10 straight wins across all competitions.

City are ready to resume their Champions League campaign

18:30 , Mike Jones

Pep Guardiola says his team are ‘hungry and fresh’ ahead of the resumption of the Champions League. Manchester City are trying to successfully defend the title they won last year and face FC Copenhagen in the round of 16.

“They are hungry, fresh in body and mind but I don’t know their rhythm,” said Guadiola. “They have prepared the game but I don’t know. Hopefully we can compete at a level this competition deserves.

“I have huge respect. I said to the players this morning you have to prepare mentally and be ready to suffer. It will be a tight, tight game 100% – I feel it – and normally my guts don’t lie to me!”

Guardiola wants Haaland to relax

18:25 , Mike Jones

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola wants premium striker Erling Haaland to focus more on feeling relaxed than scoring goals.

The Norwegian recently returned to the starting XI after two months out through injury and Guardiola feels Haaland’s desire to score may be limiting him.

“He is defined on goals, but it is not just scoring a goal,” Guardiola said, “As much it’s how he is clapping, encouraging his mates and the first intense press. This is what we need from Erling.

“But we cannot forget he has been two months out. Back to the dynamic is not easy. He’s a huge competitor who wants to score goals. OK, we know that, so relax.

“If we don’t score today, or if he doesn’t score in 10 minutes, it’s OK. In the process he has to try because the team always wins when they overcome bad moments.”

Kylian Mbappe is running out of time and must answer one question to fulfil his talent

18:20 , Mike Jones

It was a notable little record that was naturally lost on the big night, partly because Kylian Mbappe didn’t get the victory he so desired.

In what was maybe the most exhilarating moment of the 2022 World Cup final, the French star scored the most powerfully-struck goal of the entire tournament at 123.34km/h. No finish was faster. The volley on the spin, as exquisite as it was explosive, seemed symbolic of how there was no stopping Mbappe at that time. Even in defeat, he was much more than a mere support act. Mbappe’s willingness to take centre stage only enriched Lionel Messi’s great story, both players hitting the heights of their ability by reaching toward the depths of their resolve.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward may not have succeeded Pele in winning two World Cups in a row but he seemed perfectly set to succeed Messi as the next best player in the world. Mbappe’s whole campaign in Qatar had been that captivating, the hat-trick in the final to become top scorer only capping it.

Kylian Mbappe must answer one question to truly fulfil his talent

Copenhagen vs Man City

18:15 , Mike Jones

Manchester City seem to have recovered from a bit of a blip in November and have rediscovered the form that saw them win the treble last year, and Copenhagen will not be able to stop them.

Copenhagen 0-3 Man City.

Copenhagen vs Man City early team news

18:10 , Mike Jones

Manchester City have no new injury concerns ahead of the game, but should Ruben Dias receive a yellow card, he would miss the return leg.

Copenhagen will be without Lukas Lerager, who scored the goal that took them into the knockouts, but he also received a straight red card and will miss the match.

How to watch Copenhagen vs Man City

18:05 , Mike Jones

Copenhagen vs Manchester City will kick off at 8pm GMT on 13 February 2024 at the Parken Stadium in the Danish capital.

The match will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7pm GMT. Subscribers can stream TNT Sports live via the Discovery + app.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Copenhagen vs Man City

18:00 , Mike Jones

Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage on tonight’s Champions League action as FC Copenhagen take on Manchester City in the first leg of the last-16.

Copenhagen are the hosts for this match and will come into the game confident that they can pull off a huge upset. The Danish side finished second in Group A behind Bayern Munich but a competent display in the group stages saw them knock Manchester United out of the tournament.

City are a different animal though. They have won their last 10 matches across all competitions and are hungry to secure a second European title in succession. Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are fit and firing so things will be hard work for Copenhagen despite their home advantage.

We’ll have all the team news, updates and match action throughout the night so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 8pm.





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