Defending European champions Manchester City have been drawn against FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions Round of 16. The treble winners booked their place in the Round of 16 draw after topping Group G of the Champions League with 6 wins from 6 games. FC Copenhagen booked their place by finishing runner-up in Group A behind Bayern Munich and ahead of Galatasaray and Manchester United.
FC Copenhagen is managed by Jacob Neestrup. They play an attractive brand of football and proved during this year’s group stage that they are no pushover. They picked up a famous 4-3 win over Manchester United and secured a nil-all draw with Bayern Munich. The upset win provided them with the platform to qualify for the Round of 16 of this year’s Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced off against FC Copenhagen during last season’s Champions League Group Stage. City was held to a nil-all draw in Denmark. They won the return fixture 5-nil at the Etihad last season.
Speaking after the draw Txiki Begiristain warned that FC Copenhagen would be a difficult opponent in the Round of 16. He said: “In the group phase they played against Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Manchester United and they went through. They were the second-best team in the group so it means a lot. They have been better than Manchester United and Galatasaray, two clubs with much more experience in the Champions League than them. So we have to be careful.”
Pep Guardiola’s side will need to be wary of Jacob Neestrup’s side. After they proved their pedigree in a group featuring Bayern and Manchester United they will be excited to test themselves against the treble winners.
The first legs for the Round of 16 are scheduled for 13th/14th and 20th/21st of February. Second leg ties are scheduled to take on on March 5/6 and the 12th/13th.More must-reads: