Who are FC Copenhagen? All you need to know about Man City’s Champions League opponents

Manchester City will welcome Copenhagen to the Etihad Stadium in their third Champions League group stage game on Wednesday evening.

The Sky Blues will be looking to make it three wins in as many European games, with Pep Guardiola’s side sitting top of their group.

Earling Haaland left it late to secure City’s win over Borussia Dortmund in their last Champions League outing, while they opened their European campaign with an emphatic 4-0 win against Sevilla.

As for Copenhagen, they sit third in Group G on goal difference following a 0-0 draw with Sevilla on 14 September.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Sky Blues’ opponents ahead of their group-stage clash on Wednesday…

Start to the season

The Danish champions have started their title defence poorly, losing six of their opening 11 league games, winning the other five.

Jacob Neestrup’s team sit sixth in the Danish first tier and began the season with a 1-0 loss to Horsens.

They picked up their first victory in the league against AaB, beating them 3-1 away from home, this was followed by a 4-2 defeat against Viborg and 4-1 win over Brondby.

Their back-and-forth form continued with another loss for the Lions, who were beaten 3-1 at home against Randers, but then secured a 3-0 win over Lyngby seven days later.

Copenhagen suffered a 3-1 loss to Nordsjaelland at the end of August, before beating Silkeborg 1-0 to begin September with promise.

However, that was short lived, with back-to-back defeats to Odense and Midtjlland, but a win against AGF on Sunday gives them momentum for Wednesday.

European journey so far

The Lions’ European journey began midway through their league campaign with a Champions League first qualifying round two-legged fixture against Turkish champions Trabzonspor.

Neestrup’s side ran out 2-1 winners over both legs. The Danes won by that scoreline in their home tie, while holding Trabzonspor to a 0-0 draw in Turkey to progress to the group stage.

Copenhagen began the group stage with a 3-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund, but earned their first points of the competition with a 0-0 draw against Sevilla at home.

Last season

The Lions won their first league title in three years last season - their 14th in total. They won 20 of their 32 games overall, drawing eight and losing four.

Copenhagen conceded 19 goals in the league last campaign, 14 less than second-best Midtjylland (33) and were eliminated from the Danish Cup in the third round.

In Europe, the Danes finished top of their Conference League group and advanced to the round of 16 after five wins in six games. They lost 8-4 on aggregate to PSV over two legs in the next stage of the competition, ultimately being eliminated from the competition.

Head-to-head record

Wednesday’s clash between City and Copenhagen will be the third meeting between both clubs in Europe.

They last met during the 2008-09 season in the UEFA Cup round of 32, where City ran out 4-3 winners over both legs, including a 2-1 win at the Etihad.