Will the Danes play off the momentum?
The Champions League defies its name year after year, taking in many teams that have only finished second, third or fourth in their national leagues. This means that numerous reigning champions cannot collect the reward for their efforts in the top flight. Trabzonspor and FC Copenhagen, both national title holders in Turkey as well as Denmark, will play out a slot in the group stage among themselves.
The entry fee alone is worth playing in the Champions League. Then there are the games against the best teams in the world. The loser of this duel does not go home empty-handed either. The loser will move on to the Europa League, where you can also have fun, as Eintracht Frankfurt has proven several times.
Before the second leg on Wednesday, however, the Europa League is not an option that the two opponents want to deal with. After FCK’s 2-1 home win, the chances in the second leg should be around 50:50.
There is a lot to suggest, however, that it could be a tight affair. Extra time and penalty shoot-outs are explicitly not ruled out. After the impressions of the last matches, we think it is possible to be successful between Trabzonspor and FC Copenhagen with a bet on more than 2.5 goals or goals from both teams.
Trabzonspor – Statistics & current form
Before embarking on an odyssey through Europe, Andreas Cornelius started his career through the youth ranks of FC Copenhagen and then in the first team of his hometown club. There will almost certainly be two hearts beating in the Danish attacker’s chest on Wednesday, but for now he is being paid to fire the Turkish champions into the Champions League.
Two defeats mar the start of the season
At the moment, though, it doesn’t really look like it. After a good start to the season, winning the Turkish Super Cup and then both victories in the Süperliga, Abdullah Avci’s team initially picked up seamlessly from the previous season. In the meantime, however, the Turkish champions have suffered two defeats in a row and, given the momentum, we are also looking at the odds for the Danes to progress in the second leg between Trabzonspor and FC Copenhagen.
Last weekend, Trabzon suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of Antalyaspor. The reigning champions were defeated 5-2 in the Süperliga. As a result, the team from the Black Sea has dropped to eighth place. Enis Bardhi’s two goals to equalise the score at 2:2 were not enough to bring home anything worthwhile in the end.
Abdullah Avci has assembled a very large squad. It is in the nature of things that some players are always injured. Hüseyin Türkmen, Bruno Peres, Serkan Asan, Marek Hamsik and Edin Visca will all be missing due to injury. Greek midfielder Anastasios Bakasetas is injured. There is still a question mark behind his fitness to play on Wednesday.
Predicted line-up of Trabzonspor:
Cakir – Elmali, Vitor Hugo, Denswil, Stryger Larsen – Haspolat – Trezeguet, Toköz, Bakasetas, Djaniny – Cornelius – Coach: Avci
Last matches played by Trabzonspor:
Süper Lig
21/08/2022 – Antalyaspor 5 – 2 Trabzonspor
Champions League Qualifier
17/08/2022 – FC Copenhagen 2 – 1 Trabzonspor
Süper Lig
13/08/2022 – Trabzonspor 1 – 0 Hatayspor
06/08/2022 – Istanbulspor 0 – 2 Trabzonspor
Super Cup
31/07/2022 – Trabzonspor 4 – 0 Sivasspor
FC Copenhagen – Statistics & current form
FC Copenhagen is a permanent visitor to the international group stages and at the same time one of the few teams that have played in both the Champion League, the Europa League, but also already in the Conference League. Four times they have made it to the top flight, and that’s where they want to go again this season. However, the 2-1 win from the first leg is anything but a cushion of peace in the witch’s cauldron of Trabzon.
Upward trend at FCK
Coach Jess Thorup could not be really satisfied with the way the season has gone so far. Six games have been played so far in the Danish Superligaen and the defending champions have just nine points to their name. That is only good enough for eighth place. At least there are no games in which FCK do not score and therefore we give a prediction on goals for both teams before the second leg between Trabzonspor and FC Copenhagen.
Last weekend, the Danish champions in the national league gained some real self-confidence. Jess Thorup’s team had to face Lyngby BK and took the three points with a commanding 3-0 away win. Victor Claesson made it 1-0 and 3-0. In the meantime, Pep Biel scored a penalty to make it 2-0 and the Danes have won three of their last four games.
On Monday, there was good news from the training ground. Left winger Mohamed Daramy has completed his full workload and should be an option for the starting eleven after recovering from injury, as should Georgian centre-back David Khocholava. However, with substitute keeper Kamil Grabara, Luther Singh, Roony Bardghji and probably Nicolai Boilesen, a number of players will be missing.
Expected line-up of FC Copenhagen:
Ryan – Kristiansen, Lund Jensen, Khocholava, Ankersen – Haraldsson, Falk – Daramy, Claesson, Johannesson – Biel – Coach: Thorup
Last matches played by FC Copenhagen:
Superleague
19/08/2022 – Lyngby Copenhagen 0 – 3 FC Copenhagen
Champions League Qualification
17/08/2022 – FC Copenhagen 2 – 1 Trabzonspor
Superleague
13/08/2022 – FC Copenhagen 1 – 3 Randers FC
07/08/2022 – FC Copenhagen 4 – 1 Brøndby Copenhagen
31/07/2022 – Viborg 4 – 2 FC Copenhagen
Trabzonspor – FC Copenhagen Direct Comparison / H2H Record
The first leg last week was the first head-to-head clash between FC Copenhagen and Trabzonspor. Yet both clubs have fought numerous battles on the international stage. When the Danes have met a Turkish team, it has usually been from Istanbul. Trabzon have only faced B1903 Copenhagen from the Danish league before these play-offs.
The Danish champions were already well on their way to the group stage of the top flight in the first leg. Victor Claesson and Lukas Lerager scored to give them a 2-0 lead and that would probably be half the battle. Ten minutes before the end, however, Anastasios Bakasetas scored the final goal and what it was good for will only become clear on Wednesday in Trabzon.
Trabzonspor – FC Copenhagen Tip
It’s hard to say who will end up punching their ticket to the Champions League group stage. The Danes at least came out on top in the first leg. Even though the goal they conceded hurt the Danish champions, they are still in pole position. Trabzonspor will have to win this second leg, but after two defeats in the last two games, they also have to turn the tables first.
Both teams have generally sought their salvation on the offensive in the first games of the season and even if the games were not always successful, at least goals of their own were scored. That’s why we expect more goals on Wednesday, but have decided to play the betting odds on goals for both teams between Trabzonspor and FC Copenhagen
