Copenhagen are set to host Hearts at Parken for matchday five of the league phase on Thursday evening, with both teams looking to strengthen their places in the top 24 of the Conference League table.
The hosts are 19th in the standings with five points from four matches, while the visitors are 17th in the table with six points after their opening four fixtures.
Match preview
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After narrowly missing out on the 2023-24 Danish Superliga title by just four points as they finished third, ending their two-year reign as champions, Copenhagen began the 2024-25 season determined to reclaim the trophy.
With only five games remaining in the pre-split campaign, Copenhagen find themselves in a strong position in search of their goal, sitting at the top of the table with 33 points from 17 matches, though only ahead of second-placed FC Midtjylland on goal difference.
Jacob Neestrup's side have lost just twice in their 17 league outings, drawing six and winning nine, but they have so far failed to replicate that success on the European stage.
Copenhagen initially secured their spot in the Conference League by defeating FC Bruno's Magpies 8-1 on aggregate in the second round, Banik Ostrava on penalties after a 1-1 draw on aggregate in the third round and beating Kilmarnock 3-1 on aggregate in the playoff round.
However, they struggled to find their feet in the opening league phase fixtures, losing 2-1 to Jagiellonia Bialystok before drawing with Real Betis (1-1) and Istanbul Basaksehir (2-2).
Neestrup's men eventually recorded their first win in their last outing, defeating Dinamo Minsk 2-1, lifting them to 19th in the table with five points, one ahead of 25th-placed St Gallen, and extending their unbeaten run across all competitions to 10 matches.
Copenhagen have now stretched their unbeaten run to 12 games with two additional victories, putting them in excellent form as they look to secure another win and solidify their place in the top 24.
The hosts will likely be confident of securing all three points given their recent strong form, while their visitors, Hearts, have also struggled throughout the 2024-25 season.
Since booking their return to the Scottish Premiership with a Scottish Championship title in 2020-21, Hearts have consistently finished inside the top four in their three years back in the top flight.
They placed third in 2021-22, fourth in 2022-23 and returned to third last term, earning them a chance to qualify for the Europa League at the beginning of this season.
However, a dreadful start to the campaign saw Hearts fail to win any of their first 10 games across all competitions, a run that included losing in the Europa League playoff round to Viktoria Plzen, dropping them into the Conference League, and the dismissal of manager Steven Naismith.
They had an instant boost under the guidance of Liam Fox, on an interim basis, with one win, one draw and one loss, before superbly winning three, drawing one and losing one of their first five matches under new boss Neil Critchley.
Victories over Dinamo Minsk and Omonia Nicosia in that time marked wins in their first two Conference League fixtures, but they have since suffered defeats to FC Heidenheim and Cercle Brugge, losses that coincided with a run of four consecutive defeats.
Critchley's men have, however, rebounded in recent outings, superbly holding Aberdeen to a 1-1 draw before beating Dundee 2-0 in their most recent game, leaving them with boosted confidence heading into this one.
With their two defeats and two wins leaving them in 17th with six points, just three behind the top eight and two ahead of 25th-placed St Gallen, a positive result could prove vital in their qualification hopes.
Team News
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Copenhagen may be without Elias Achouri and Nicolai Boilesen with both doubts due to injuries, while Giorgi Gocholeishvili, Rasmus Falk and Roony Bardghji are all ruled out.
Having enjoyed a run of 12 matches without defeat across all competitions heading into this one, Neestrup may opt to name a similar side to the one that has featured in recent outings.
As for Hearts, they are without Calem Nieuwenhof, who is expected to return later this month, while both Gerald Taylor and Stephen Kingsley are out of action until the new year.
An encouraging 2-0 win against Dundee in their last game, bringing an end to a run of five matches without victory, could see Critchley decide to field the same team here.
Lawrence Shankland, who scored an impressive 59 goals in 94 appearances for Hearts over the past two seasons, netted twice in that game, bringing his total to just three goals in 22 appearances this term, and he will be eager to continue his rediscovered scoring form in this one.
Copenhagen possible starting lineup:
Sander; Huescas, Pereira, Hatzidiakos, Diks; Elyounoussi, Lerager, Delaney, Robert; Claesson, Cornelius
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Oyegoke, Halkett, Rowles, Penrice; Devlin, Boateng; Grant, Shankland, Spittal; Wilson
We say: Copenhagen 2-1 Hearts
The hosts are in undeniably superior form heading into this game, having avoided defeat in their last 12 outings, and with them also boasting the home advantage, we believe they will secure a victory here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
