FC Copenhagen Coach Concerned About Frantic Action Ahead of Heidenheim Return Leg

FC Copenhagen manager Jacob Neestrup has warned that an open, end-to-end encounter in the return leg against Heidenheim in the Conference League could spell disaster for his team.

The Danish side, who made it to the Round of 16 in last year’s Champions League, find themselves in a precarious position following a 1-2 loss in Copenhagen against the Bundesliga outfit last week. Neestrup emphasises the need for Copenhagen to dictate the play if they hope to overturn the deficit against Franck Schmidt’s side.

“If the match turns into an open affair, it won’t work in our favour,” Neestrup stated at the pre-match press conference.

“In the first leg, we dominated the first half, and although the opening 12-15 minutes of the second half weren’t ideal, they were still decent. The error we made was that once Heidenheim equalised, we allowed the game to open up too much, resulting in a 50-50 scenario.”

“When that happens, a Bundesliga side has the upper hand over FC Copenhagen, as they are more adept at exploiting space, whereas the Danish Superliga tends to be more compact with tighter marking,” Neestrup added.

For Copenhagen to progress to the Round of 16, they require at least a two-goal victory, which could tempt them to push more players forward, increasing the risk of conceding goals in the process.

“Being one goal down from the first leg is certainly a disadvantage, but regardless of the outcome of the first match—whether we had won or drawn—it wouldn’t alter our approach to this return leg from the outset. However, if opportunities and goals elude us as the match unfolds, we may have to take more risks, but that won’t be our strategy from the first minute,” Neestrup explained.

Unfortunately for FC Copenhagen, they will be without the backing of their devoted supporters in Germany. Following an incident during their Conference League match in Vienna last autumn, where significant amounts of pyrotechnics were set off in the away section, UEFA imposed a €40,000 fine on the club and prohibited away fans from attending the fixture in Heidenheim.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 18:45 CET.