Before plunging into the potential title decider in England, Manchester City have their work cut out in the UEFA Champions League. UEFA Champions Leagueneeding to complete their Round of 16 tie with FC Copenhagen on Wednesday.
City Stays Among Europe's Elite
Manchester City secured a 3-1 victory over Manchester United on Sunday, recovering from an early goal deficit. This left them just one point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool as they prepare for a crucial clash at Anfield next weekend.
After a convincing 3-1 win in Denmark, they are in a formidable position.
Pep Guardiola, known for his success in two-legged play-offs, has never been eliminated after winning the first away game, progressing in all of the previous nine instances with City (six times), Bayern Munich (twice) and Barcelona (once).
The star of the domestic and European fronts, Phil Foden, showed his brilliance with two goals against United, including a spectacular long-range effort.
Foden's current tally of 18 goals this season is the best in a single campaign, moving him into the top 10 of City's all-time scoring chart with 78 goals.
In the Champions League, Foden is enjoying his most prolific campaign, contributing a total of seven goals (four goals, three assists). The young star leads the competition in passes that break the opponent's defensive line (17).
Kevin De Bruyne, City's top scorer in the knockout stages of the Champions League has 12 goals, narrowly beating David Silva's 11.
De Bruyne's remarkable 20-goal haul in his last 22 Champions League knockout appearances reflects his pivotal role, with 10 goals and 10 assists.
With a comfortable lead in the tie and the crucial visit to Anfield on the horizon, Guardiola could opt for changes on Wednesday. Jack Grealish remains the only casualty, and possible rotations could include Julian Alvarez, Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovačić and Josko Gvardiol.
Which 1⃣1⃣ would you like to host FC Copenhagen today? 🫵 pic.twitter.com/UDd45aeDkX
- Manchester City (@ManCityUK) March 6, 2024
Copenhagen Paddles Against the Current
With Copenhagen needing a two-goal win to take the tie into extra time, control will be key for City, who have the highest passing rate under pressure of any team in the Champions League this season (90.6%).
Copenhagen, on the other hand, has the lowest figure in this regard of any team that has reached the round of 16, with 76.2%.
Copenhagen's sequences in the Champions League this season start on average 38.6 meters from their own goal, the deepest distance of any team remaining in the competition.
On Friday, Jacob Neestrup's side suffered a damaging 2-0 defeat to FC Midtjylland's rivals in the Danish Superliga title race, who have distanced themselves three points above them at the top of the table.
The match will be just the fourth for Copenhagen in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and they have failed to win in the previous three (one draw, two defeats).
Their last away win in the competition was in December 2016 (2-0 against Club Brugge) and they have scored just two goals in their last six trips in the Champions League.
However, they will be looking to strike a blow after Magnus Mattsson took advantage of a mistake by Ederson to score in the first game.
Arriving from Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen in January, he became only the second player in Champions League history to make his playoff debut and score against the defending champions.
The Danish champions will not be limited to defending entirely; after the first legs of all the round of 16 matches, the three players who applied the most pressure in the Champions League this season were the Copenhagen trio.
These players were Mohamed Elyounoussi (683), Viktor Claesson (651) and Elias Achouri (628).
