Pep Guardiola’s eye-catching Manchester City side will return to Champions League action with a mid-week clash against FC Copenhagen at the Etihad Stadium.
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Blowing away city rivals Manchester United in the Manchester Derby last weekend, City’s 6-3 victory only told half of the story.
Dominative in all areas, the Blues waltzed past Erik ten Hag’s hapless United side, taking themselves to within one point of leaders Arsenal.
Dropping just four points from two draws so far in the league this season, City will switch their attention back to the Champions League this week when Copenhagen make the visit to the Etihad Stadium.
Similarly to the Premier League, Guardiola’s men have enjoyed a stellar start to their Champions League campaign, triumphing 4-0 over Sevilla in the opening game, before coming from behind to take three points in a thrilling 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund last time out.
With Sevilla and Dortmund coming head-to-head in the Champions League double-header, City will watch on with interest to see how their Group G rivals get on.
For City themselves, their focus will be taken up by the looming clash with Copenhagen, who are yet to win in this season’s Champions League so far.
Winners of the Danish Superliga last season, Copenhagen fell to Dortmund in their opening Champions League fixture, before holding out for a 0-0 draw against record Europa League winners Sevilla last time out.
Not expected to challenge for the top two positions in the group, Copenhagen’s objective will likely be to finish third and secure qualification to the Europa League.
Underdogs heading into Wednesday’s clash, Copenhagen are gearing up for their first clash against the English side since February 2009.
Meeting each other at the round-of-16 in what was then called the UEFA Cup, City progressed beyond Copenhagen via a 4-3 aggregate win.
Craig Bellamy netted twice for the Blues in the second leg, but is Erling Haaland who the Danes will likely fear this time around, with the Norwegian international having scored a remarkable 17 goals so far this season.
Already with three to his name from the opening two Champions League fixtures, Copenhagen’s only hope of keeping him quiet could be if Guardiola opts to rotate his side ahead of a busy October schedule.
Haaland played the full 90 minutes on Sunday against United, with the likes of Julian Alvarez, Riyad Mahrez and Cole Palmer all coming off the bench for the Blues.
Minutes could be in line for that trio, as City go on the hunt for another three points in pursuit of first place in their Champions League group.
