By Toke Theilade
When Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup Final in Copenhagen in 2000, they added one of the most significant chapters to the club´s history. Tuesday night, they can add yet another important chapter in the same city as they face FC Copenhagen at Parken in a direct fight for a spot in the round of 16 in the Champions League.
Both clubs have performed above expectations in the group stage, and it is just as deserved as it is impressive that they face off in this final on the last match day.
A Shaky Season From Copenhagen
Being the richest club in Scandinavia, Copenhagen enter each season with the expectation of not only winning but also dominating the Danish Superliga. So far this season, they have been able to win, but far from dominating. Juggling both domestic and European football has proven to be too much at times for the young side.
Copenhagen are entering the fixture against Galatasaray in awful form. They are without a Superliga victory for more than a month, and the previous week they were eliminated from the cup by Silkeborg.
The bad form has caused them to lose the first place in the league as they are entering the winter break in third place behind FC Midtjylland and arch rivals Brøndby IF.
It was in fact a derby match against Brøndby that started the poor run to end the year. Despite playing at home, Copenhagen delivered a poor performance and were lucky to pull out with a 0-0 draw in the middle of November. Since then followed defeats to Viborg, AGF and latest Silkeborg.
On the bright side, Copenhagen has been great in the Champions League. This group stage has seen them defeat Manchester United and draw 0-0 away against Bayern Munich and 2-2 away against Galatasaray. Despite having the smallest budget in the group, the Lions have been competitive in all their matches, and they could easily have gained even more points. They were unlucky against Galatasaray in the opener as well in the two narrow defeats to Bayern Munich at home (1-2) and Manchester United away (1-0).
What Awaits Galatasaray in Copenhagen?
The city of Copenhagen is in a state of ecstasy. Despite the low temperatures of December, the city is warm with football love these days. Copenhagen has only once made the knockout stage of the Champions League, and the entire city is behind the team. Back in 2011, Copenhagen were eliminated at Stamford Bridge by Chelsea in the Round of 16, and since then they have tried to get back to that level.
The expectations are also high from both the team and fans. Copenhagen are not in the Champions League for a participation trophy but to win matches, and the players are expected to get the job done and book the ticket to the knockout.
Galatasaray will enter a passionate and packed stadium with a crowd that understands the importance of pushing the team forward on big European nights like this one.
The Turkish guests are also entering a stadium that is known to be a difficult place to play. Copenhagen have only lost twice at home in the Champions League group stage in the last nine years. In 2013 they lost 1-2 to Real Madrid, and then in October they lost 1-2 at home to Bayern Munich. In those years, Copenhagen have managed to defeat Manchester United and draw against teams such as Juventus, Leicester City, FC Porto, Sevilla, Manchester City and Dortmund. In 2013 they even defeated Galatasaray at home.
Scandinavia´s Strongest Team
Despite the poor form recently, Copenhagen should not be underestimated. Their squad is by far the strongest in Scandinavia with an exciting mix of youth and experience.
In goal, they have Kamil Grabara, who joins Wolfsburg in a record deal after the season. In front of him, the former Lazio ace, Denis Vavro controls a strong and physical defense.
The midfield is the strongest and most experienced part of the team. Head coach Jacob Neestrup has multiple options here with stars like Swedish international Viktor Claesson, former Benfica ace Diogo Goncalves, Norwegian international Mohamed Elyounoussi and the Danish stars Rasmus Falk and Lukas Lerager.
Neestrup can even throw Swedish wonderkid Roony Bardghji in the mix here, which he has done a lot this season. The 17-year-old Swede is one of the brightest young stars in European football, and he is in the midst of a breakthrough season. He has seven league goals to his name, including two against Brøndby, and he scored the winner against Man United last month.
The weakest point of the Copenhagen side is the offense. Club legend Andreas Cornelius, former Turkish champion with Trabzonspor, has been injured almost constantly since returning to Denmark last summer and is yet to score his first league goal. Orri Oskarsson and Jordan Larsson are both fine options as well, but neither of them are true number nines and they play the best behind another striker.
The lack of striker options has hurt Copenhagen significantly this season, and it remains something the club needs to address when the transfer window opens next month.