Tuesday, with their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League already in shambles, Manchester United welcomes FC Copenhagen to Old Trafford. After losing both of their games thus far—a 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in their first game and a shocking 3-2 loss to Galatasaray in front of their own supporters in their most recent match—the Red Devils are currently bottom of Group A. On paper, Tuesday’s game appears to be the easiest for them in the group stage and a great opportunity to get going, but Copenhagen does have an advantage over their hosts in the group after their matchday one draw with Galatasaray.
It is sure to be a poignant occasion at Old Trafford regardless of the result, as Man United play their first home game since the death of arguably their greatest-ever servant, Sir Bobby charlton
Here, Sports Mole looks at the head-to-head record and past meetings between Man United and Copenhagen.
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 3
Man Utd wins: 2
Draws: 0
Copenhagen wins: 1
Tuesday night will be the fourth meeting between these two sides, with Man United just about edging the head-to-head record with two wins to Copenhagen’s one.
That decisive triumph came in the quarter-final of the Europa League in August 202, which was a one-off game rather than a two-legged affair due to the impact of COVID-19 on the football calendar.
The three-time European champions did need extra time on that occasion, though, with Bruno Fernandez scoring the decisive penalty for Ole Gunna solskjaer ‘s side in the German city of Cologne.
The previous two Champions League showdowns came in the 2006-07 group stage, and there was little surprise when Man United cruised to victory over a Copenhagen side appearing in the competition for the first time during the first game at Old Trafford.
Paul Scholes opened the scoring for a team that also included the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, before second-half strikes from less-familiar goalscorers John O’Shea and Kieran Richardson sealed a routine triumph. There was nothing routine about the return fixture, though, as Copenhagen pulled off a famous 1-0 victory – their first-ever in the Champions League – through a 73rd-minute goal from former Aston Villa man Marcus Allback. That is one of only two defeats Man United have ever suffered in nine previous games against Danish opposition, while it is Copenhagen’s only win over English opposition from 13 attempts. The Red Devils have won six of their nine such matches and are unbeaten at home against teams from Denmark, winning three and drawing one of
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