Manchester City vs Copenhagen prediction, odds and betting tips
Manchester City are expected to advance to the last eight of the Champions League at Copenhagen’s expense this week.
Find the latest match odds for Manchester City vs FC Copenhagen. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
- Manchester City -2.5 Asian handicap - 11/10 with bet365
- Manchester City to win both halves - evens with bet365
- Julian Alvarez to score any time - 11/8 with bet365
Manchester City march on. Manchester United might have drawn first blood in Sunday’s derby through a brilliant Marcus Rashford strike, but it was City celebrating at the end of the 90 minutes.
Pep Guardiola’s side had to remain patient, but their superior quality eventually shone through. Phil Foden was the star of the show, scoring two excellent goals to get his boyhood club back on track.
The frightening thing for City’s rivals is that the champions have won 15 of their last 16 games in all competitions despite not being at their best.
For instance, they struggled to prise open United’s deep defence in the first half at the Etihad Stadium, and relied on a moment of magic from Foden to level the score.
Yet there is a sort of ominous momentum surrounding City right now. They have not really blown opponents away of late, but they are still doing more than enough to remain hot on Liverpool’s heels in the Premier League title race.
Those two teams will do battle on Sunday afternoon in a game that could go a long way to determining the outcome of the title tussle (although Arsenal will of course have something to say about that).
That crunch clash at Anfield could have an impact on Guardiola’s team selection against Copenhagen, not least because City already hold a 3-1 advantage on aggregate.
Liverpool, for their part, must travel to the Czech Republic to face Sparta Prague on Thursday. The fact City play a day earlier and are at home arguably gives them an edge.
Guardiola and his players would no doubt insist they are fully on Copenhagen for the time being, but it would only be natural for City to have half an eye on the Liverpool game this weekend.
Even a rotated Manchester City side should prove too strong for FC Copenhagen on Wednesday night.
Phil Foden is in the form of his life. As well as that match-winning brace against Manchester United last time out, the England international scored what could prove to be a crucial goal in Copenhagen.
Manchester City were already 2-1 up going into second-half stoppage time, but Foden’s late effort instantly gave them more breathing space in the tie.
We should not expect Guardiola to name a significantly weakened team in the return game. For one, City’s squad is not deep enough for that.
Even so, the likes of Oscar Bobb, Matheus Nunes, Julian Alvarez, Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic will hope to come into the XI after being left out of the side for the Manchester derby.
On the other hand, Guardiola may opt to pick his strongest possible XI with a view to making changes on the hour mark if the game is wrapped up.
Either way, City should prove too strong for Copenhagen, who did well to reach the round of 16 but are not among Europe’s elite.
To the surprise of many, Copenhagen got the better of both Galatasaray and Manchester United to advance to the knockout phase of the Champions League.
Their only two wins in the group stage came in front of their own fans and they may well struggle to make much of an impact at the Etihad.
Copenhagen suffered a 2-0 defeat by Midtjylland at the weekend, a match in which they lost both halves. Manchester City should be more than capable of matching that accomplishment of the current Danish Superliga leaders.
Although their two league outings before the Manchester derby were 1-0 wins, City are still capable of turning on the style.
We saw that in a 6-2 demolition of Luton Town in the FA Cup last week and, with the Etihad crowd behind them, we could see more of the same on Wednesday.
Copenhagen manager Jacob Neestrup will be preoccupied with avoiding a thrashing in the second leg.
Alvarez has found game time harder to come by since Kevin De Bruyne’s return to full fitness.
The Argentina international, who helped his country win the World Cup in 2022, has not started any of Manchester City’s last three encounters.
He did make an impact off the bench on Sunday, though, assisting Foden and City’s second goal.
De Bruyne is a leading candidate to be rested by Guardiola for the visit of Copenhagen, so Alvarez will hope to find himself back in the XI.
A goal would do him the world of good given the 24-year-old has only scored in one Premier League or Champions League match since the beginning of 2024.
Alvarez is an excellent player and he will be keen to remind everyone of that fact when Copenhagen come to town.
- Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England.
- Date and time: Wednesday 6 March 2024, 8pm.
- How to watch: TNT Sports 1.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
