Director of football Txiki Begiristain insists Manchester City will not take FC Copenhagen lightly having been paired with the Danish side in the last 16 of the Champions League today.
The sides met in last year’s group phase with City winning the home game 5-0 before a goalless encounter in Copenhagen.
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City paired with FC Copenhagen in Champions League draw
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It appears a great draw for Pep Guardiola’s men but Begiristain was understandably being cautious when discussing City’s chances.
He told the club’s official website: “In the group phase they played against Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Manchester United and they went through. The were the second-best team in the group so that means a lot.
“They have been better than Manchester United and Galatasaray, two clubs with much more experience in the Champions League than them. So we have to be careful.
“We have to take it seriously and respect what they have done. They have something very good.
“We have already played Copenhagen (in the Champions League last season) so we go back to Copenhagen which is a wonderful place to visit.”
We will face Copenhagen in the #UCL Round of 16 with our first leg away 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Bkj8efn27Z
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 18, 2023
City landed their maiden Champions League crown by beating Inter in Istanbul in June and Begiristain is hoping that experience will help them go back to back.
He added: “We know what it takes now to win this Champions League and we want to do it again.
“We finished top of the group, and we have played well in Europe.
“Once we are in the knockout rounds, we have to understand why we are. The respect for all the contenders is huge.
“But, of course, all the opponents will be difficult and the first one we have to work on is Copenhagen.”
