Does Trabzonspor set the course for a place in the group stage?
Clear the curtain for the play-offs in the Champions League qualification! In the next two weeks, the last six participants in the 2022/23 top flight will be determined. FC Copenhagen and Trabzonspor are also in the thick of it. The latter are in the Champions League qualifiers for the first time since 2011.
The anticipation is therefore all the greater at the Black Sea club. Head coach Abdullah Avci’s team has already built up self-confidence in the first three competitive matches of the current season and will therefore go into the upcoming encounter in Copenhagen with a broad chest.
The bookmakers see the Danish record champions as favourites and only offer odds of 2.15 for tip 1 on FC Copenhagen vs. Trabzonspor. In case of success of the Turkish guests, however, quotes of up to 3.60 are paid out.
In the dress rehearsal before the match on the international stage, Trabzonspor had a hard-fought victory (1:0) against Hatayspor. FC Copenhagen, on the other hand, suffered a bitter defeat (1:3) against Randers FC last weekend despite home advantage.
FC Copenhagen – Statistics & current form
FC Copenhagen have had a mixed start to the season so far and already have three defeats to their name after five matchdays in the Danish top flight. After a strong summer preparation, which included a 7-0 win over Feyenoord – finalists in the last Europa Conference League – the recent results have been disappointing.
Especially since two out of three home games were lost during this period. Only against Brøndby, the arch-rivals from Copenhagen, FCK could celebrate a victory at the Parken Stadium. But in the most recent league match against Randers FC last weekend, the defending champions suffered a bitter 1:3 defeat.
FCK were even in the lead at one point. However, after Lund Jensen’s 1-0 early in the second half, the visitors dominated the game and ultimately handed FC Copenhagen their third home defeat of the current season. For FCK coach Jess Thorup, it was not only the defeat that was a bitter setback. With the injuries to Daramy and Khocholava, the personnel worries have also increased.
Can Thorup bridge the personnel worries at FCK?
Against Trabzonspor this week, the Danish coach will be missing a total of seven players due to injury. In addition to restrictions in the attack, where one of the most valuable players in the FCK ranks, Ajax loanee Daramy, is missing, there are now also personnel worries in the back line.
Khocholava, the mainstay of the Danish record champions’ central defence, was injured last weekend. In his absence, FCK coach Thorup will probably rely on Vavro and Lund Jensen. Daramy, on the other hand, is likely to be replaced by Amoo.
FC Copenhagen have not been in the Champions League group stage since the 2016/17 season. The Danish representatives have failed to qualify twice since then. The last time was in the 2019/20 season, where FCK were eliminated by Red Star Belgrade in the third round of CL qualifying.
Predicted line-up of FC Copenhagen:
Johnsson – Kristiansen, Lund Jensen, Vavro, Diks – Lerager, Falk – Amoo, Claesson, Haraldsson – Biel
Last matches played by FC Copenhagen:
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
24/07/2022 – Aalborg BK 1 – 3 FC Copenhagen
Friendly club matches
18/07/2022 – FC Copenhagen 2 – 1 Fremad Amager
Trabzonspor – Statistics & current form
Three games, three wins – the 2022/23 season could not have started better for Trabzonspor. After winning the title in the Turkish Super Cup – a 4-0 win over Sivasspor – the “Bordo Mavililer” have also won their first two matches in the Süper Lig. A 2-0 win against promoted Istanbulspor was followed by a 1-0 win against Hatayspor last weekend.
However, the victory against the Bordeaux Reds from Hatay was hard-fought. It was only after the change of ends that the Black Sea club’s offensive was able to crack the defensive bulwark of the league rivals. However, the injury to Edin Visca, one of the big performers in the attacking department, overshadowed the victory.
The 32-year-old had to be substituted before the end of the match after suffering a serious injury. According to media reports, Visca will be out for almost three months with a fractured arm. Last season, the Bosnian winger was one of the best offensive players in the Black Sea club’s ranks with a total of 21 scorer points.
Defensive bulwark is the showpiece of the Turkish champions
At least in defence, TS coach Avci is spared from personnel worries. Although two potential starters, Peres and Asan, are missing, there are adequate replacements in the squad. In the first three matches of the current season, Trabzon have not yet conceded a goal.
Therefore, a clean sheet for Avci’s team cannot be ruled out for the match in Copenhagen. So far, Trabzonspor have met a Danish team four times in the club’s history. Only once did the Black Sea club emerge victorious from the pitch, but there was one draw and two defeats.
The last time the “Bordo Mavililer” were represented in the CL qualifiers, the traditional club from the Turkish Black Sea coast was eliminated in the third round against SL Benfica. Because league rivals Fenerbahce were banned by UEFA, Trabzonspor subsequently became the only Turkish representatives to enter the group stage of the top flight.
Predicted line-up of Trabzonspor:
Cakir – Elmali, Hugo, Denswil, Stryger Larsen – Siopis, Haspolat – Trezeguet, Bakasetas, Ömür – Cornelius
Last matches played by 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
Friendly club matches
25/07/2022 – Trabzonspor 0 – 1 Empoli
23/07/2022 – Trabzonspor 0 – 3 FC Torino
FC Copenhagen – Trabzonspor Direct comparison / H2H balance
FC Copenhagen and Trabzonspor meet for the first time ever
FC Copenhagen – Trabzonspor Tip
When it comes to the start of the season so far for both teams, Trabzonspor is undoubtedly ahead. It is therefore all the more surprising that Trabzonspor are the underdogs against the Danish record champions, especially as FCK, apart from their poorer form, are also struggling with considerable personnel problems.
A total of seven players, including numerous key players, will be missing for the Danish hosts. In contrast, Trabzonspor’s list of players is still manageable. The visitors from Turkey also have a broader squad and can easily bridge the current personnel worries.
In their current form, we see the Turkish guests as favourites and therefore see value in the high odds on a Trabzonspor win. The Black Sea side have won their last three matches and have not conceded a single goal.
With a stake of four units, we therefore dare to bet on the Turkish guests in FC Copenhagen vs. Trabzonspor.
