Now, healthy, in form, and in control of the Premier League title race, Manchester City turn their attention back to the Champions League as they begin the Round of 16 with a first-leg road trip to Danish side FC Copenhagen.
With a fully fit squad and a fearsome winning streak at his back, Pep Guardiola has awakened Man City for their seemingly annual second-half charge, making a habit of turning on the afterburners at just the right time each season.
City have last failed to win back on December 16, a full 10 matches ago across all competitions, while their last defeat came a further two weeks prior. They hold control of their own destiny for the Premier League crown, two points back of leaders Liverpool but with a game in hand, and are hoping to be the only team besides Real Madrid to repeat as Champions League winners since 1990.
Copenhagen were the beneficiaries of a shocking Group A final standing, finishing second with eight points at the expense of Galatasaray and Manchester United dumped out of the competition. The Danish champions are, unfortunately, well-versed in Man City's strength, having met in the UCL group stage in last year's competition.
USA: Click here to see the latest odds for Man City vs Copenhagen and bet Champions League matches
Man City vs Copenhagen prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Man City (-400)
- Score prediction: Man City 2-0 Copenhagen
Manchester City have been known to put forth attacking duds on the road in European play, and while that could be the case here, it won't stop them from securing a commanding lead in the tie before heading home.
During their Champions League title run last season, Man City won just one of their six road legs, drawing all five others by a 0-0 or 1-1 scoreline. Their only victory came in the first away match in group stage play with a 4-0 victory at Sevilla, but they failed to win at Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich, or Real Madrid. The season before, City were beaten in three European road trips at RB Leipzig, PSG, and Real Madrid, the latter serving as the semifinal deathblow.
They won't be held in Denmark a second time running, but it won't be the attacking onslaught some expect while looking at this match in a vacuum.
| DraftKings (USA) |
|
| Copenhagen win | +1100 |
| Draw | +550 |
| Man City win | -400 |
| Both teams to score Y/N |
+120 / -150 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
-160 / +115 |
| Man City -1.5 goals |
-135 |
| FC Copenhagen +1.5 goals |
+100 |
Man City vs Copenhagen match facts
- Date: Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024
- Kickoff Time: 9 p.m. local (3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)
- Location: Parken (Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez (ESP), VAR: Juan Martinez Munuera (ESP)
- Last meeting: FC Copenhagen 0-0 Man City (Oct. 11, 2022 | Champions League)
Man City vs Copenhagen: best bet
- Pick: Highest scoring half — 2H
- Odds: +100 (DraftKings)
Just like their season-long narrative, Man City have made a habit of treading water through the first half and opening up the floodgates after the hour mark.
Of Man City's last 22 goals across all competitions since returning from the Club World Cup in late December, only four of them have come in the first half, with one of those being in first-half stoppage time.
They've been notoriously tame on the road in European play over the last few years, even playing to a 0-0 draw at this very venue last season in group-stage play. While a repeat of that result is unlikely, they will be sure to approach this one with their same methodical style through the first 45 minutes before opening it up as their opponent wears down.
Man City vs Copenhagen prop bet
- Pick: FC Copenhagen over 2.5 yellow cards
- Odds: +125 (DraftKings)
With Man City potentially struggling to score goals through the first half and FC Copenhagen growing in confidence as the match wears on, the hosts could begin to show a bit of recklessness as they put everything on the line to get a shock home result.
Everything tracks for this match to feature a litany of bookings for the Danish club. They already average two yellow cards per match in Champions League play, and 1.9 per match in Danish league play despite sitting firmly in the thick of the title race.
Man City, meanwhile, are second in the Premier League drawing yellow cards with 66 shown to their opponents this season. In the 0-0 draw in Copenhagen between these two clubs last season, Man City played the final hour a man down, and still Copenhagen committed 13 fouls and picked up a pair of bookings despite their advantage.
Finally, the Spanish official Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez is averaging 5.58 yellows per La Liga match this season, and maintaining that record in European play as well. In his four European matches officiated this year (three in the Champions League and one in the Europa League), he's let 23 cards fly.
Man City vs Copenhagen live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | CBS | Fubo USA, Paramount+ |
| Canada | — | DAZN Canada |
| UK | TNT Sports 1 | discovery+ |
In the United States, exclusive English-language broadcast rights of the UEFA Champions League this season are owned by CBS, who stream every match on Paramount+.
CBS Sports has also earmarked this match for major nationwide television broadcast on its main network channel, which is available to stream on Fubo.
In Canada, the Champions League broadcast rights are held by DAZN, which streams every match of the competition. UK rights to this match are held by TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport), who will air this match on TNT Sports 1, with streaming on discovery+.
