The first Champions League trip of the 2023/24 season takes Bayern to Copenhagen, where FCB will take on the Danish champions in the second game of Group A on Tuesday (kick-off at 21:00 CEST, live coverage on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app with our live text and free web radio). A second victory would take the Munich club a step close to the knockout stage. “We want to win so we put ourselves in a good position in the group,” said sporting director Christoph Freund. Here’s all you need to know about the game against Copenhagen in our preview.
Check out the best photos from the eve of the game:
State of play
Bayern got off to a winning start in the Champions League with a 4-3 victory at home to Manchester United. It means FCB can now continue two remarkable runs that have seen them go unbeaten in their last 35 group games (W32, D3) and win each of the last 14 at this stage. It’s form Bayern obviously want to build on as they prepare to face Copenhagen for the first time ever.
Bayern earned a 2-2 draw away at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday, with the second half in particular providing momentum for the trip to Denmark after coming from 2-0 down at half-time with a much-improved performance. “I have great respect for every opponent in the Champions League. It’s the toughest club competition in the world. You can’t approach the group stage in any way other than step by step,” said head coach Thomas Tuchel at his press conference on Monday. “We know that Copenhagen are very good at home and we need to go about our job with focus over the 90 minutes. Then I think we’ll win,” added Joshua Kimmich.
Recap the day before the Copenhagen game with travel, press conferences and training:
Opponent: Copenhagen
Copenhagen booked their place in the Champions League as champions of Denmark and came through qualifying. They were held to a 2-2 draw in the opening game away at Galatasaray, after Elias Jelert was sent off in the 73rd minute and a 2-0 lead was squandered in the final four minutes. The defending champions are top of the Danish Superliga again after 10 games with 22 points. However, they were beaten 2-0 at the weekend by Midtjylland. “We’re expecting Copenhagen in a 4-3-3 formation, in a very compact block. They’re very dangerous on the counter and have a good mix of long balls and short passing play,” Tuchel explained. “Copenhagen define themselves as a team and want to surpass themselves.”
Find out more about Copenhagen in our profile:
Personnel
Bayern remain without captain Manuel Neuer (training after broken leg) and Serge Gnabry (fractured arm). Matthijs de Ligt has also remained at home after a knock to his knee.
Copenhagen are without the suspended Jelert and the injured trio of Davit Khocholava, William Clem and Andreas Cornelius.
Facts and stats ahead of the game:
What the coaches say
Copenhagen didn’t lose a home game in the Champions League last season against Manchester City, Dortmund and Sevilla. It says a lot about their quality. The drive to be the first team to win here is great.
Thomas Tuchel
We’re up against one of the best teams in the world. A win would be the perfect result. A draw would be a good result. But we know we can also lose with a good performance. We have a plan, and I hope it works.
Jacob Neestrup
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