Man Utd vs FC Copenhagen predictions: Hosts could provide a thriller
- United have conceded 20 goals in 11 Premier League and European matches this season
- Copenhagen are unbeaten on the road this season, scoring in all 10 away trips
- Recommended bet: Both teams to score
A pair of unconvincing 2-1 wins against Brentford and Sheffield United will not have fooled Manchester United supporters into thinking they have turned the corner and their club remains in wobbly form as it faces a potentially season-defining meeting with FC Copenhagen.
The visitors may not be the most intimidating of Champions League opponents but with United having already lost at home to Galatasaray and away to Bayern — who are expected to dominate Group A — nothing less than a win will do on Tuesday night.
Six points from their back-to-back meetings with Copenhagen would give Erik ten Hag’s team a fighting chance of escaping into the knockout rounds, but defeat at Old Trafford would leave United pondering the ignominy of finishing last in a relatively weak group.
Team news
Ten Hag’s defensive woes have been compounded by the loss of midfielder Casemiro, who serves a one-match suspension after getting sent off against Galatasaray.
Centre-back Lisandro Martinez is out until 2024 with a foot injury, left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are not expected back until November and right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka has only a slim chance of returning from a hamstring injury.
Left-back Sergio Reguilon could return but winger Jadon Sancho continues to train away from the first-team squad.
Copenhagen midfielder William Clem broke his leg last month, left-back Birger Meling is out until late November and centre-back Nicolai Boilesen is also expected to miss out.
Right-back Elias Jelert returns having served a one-match ban against Bayern.
The stats
Manchester United have lost both Champions League matches this season and have also lost all four Premier League meetings with teams placed 11th or higher in the table.
Ten Hag’s men have kept only two clean sheets in the league and in Europe this season — in 1-0 wins against Wolves and Burnley — and have conceded an average of 1.82 goals in those matches.
Copenhagen remain unbeaten away from home this term, winning six games and drawing the other four.
Jacob Neestrup’s men were 2-0 up at Galatasaray until the 86th minute on matchday one, before eventually slipping to a 2-2 draw.
The Danes also gave as good as they got when hosting Bayern in their second Group A match, leading with 25 minutes to go and matching the Germans in expected goals, but eventually succumbing to a late Mathys Tel winner.
Prediction
While back-to-back meetings with Copenhagen will have been viewed by many United supporters as an easy six points ahead of their 2023-24 Champions League campaign, their lack of form combined with the resilience shown by the Danish side have changed that outlook.
United are still the likelier winners but odds of 1/3 for the home win with LiveScore Bet underestimates the threat of a Copenhagen side who could easily have drawn against Bayern and should have won away at Galatasaray.
Moreover, it fails to reflect the nervousness of a United team who have the quality to outscore opponents but are playing within themselves due to a lack of confidence and a fear of their own defensive frailty.
With both teams finding goals easier to come by than to keep out, backing both teams to score looks a more sensible approach than lumping on an unreliable favourite at a short price.
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