Andreasen: - A meeting between two good teams
Only one round has been played of the Superliga this season, and yet FC Copenhagen’s clash with OB on Saturday is as important as ever. Both teams won their first match 2-0, which means that only AC Horsens – with one more goal scored – are above last season’s top two sides.
by Joe Short
One of the main players for OB over the last several seasons, Hans Henrik Andreasen, was on the score sheet last week: helping his side beat FC Nordsjælland by bagging both goals.
FCK.DK got hold of Andreasen to hear his views on OB and the Superliga this season.
How do you think OB has come out of this summer's transfer window?
- Now it's not finished yet and it is impossible to know what happens until the window closes. I am not just thinking at OB but also the rest of the teams in the Superliga. There'll be some more activity before the window closes, but wherever we will purchase or sell it is uncertain. As it stands, we look OK. We have lost a striker, but have also signed Morten Skoubo, and I am excited to see what he can contribute.
- We've also got a few home-grown talents, plus a young player from FC Fyn; these guys we can expect something of in the long term. Finally, we also signed Tore Reginiussen to the squad. He started in our first match, and delivered an excellent job, so he seems like a bargain.
OB beat FC Nordsjælland but with some difficulty, were there any problems with the match?
- No, I don’t think so. No team in the Supeliga is easy to beat without difficulty. But in the game we were sharpest and we showed that we are a worthy top team. We scored enough goals to win, but could – and probably should – have scored more. But credit to FC Nordsjælland who played good football.
Is this the season where OB will win the championship?
- I could not answer that. We have only played one match, we've got a lot of young players up with us, and so we’ll see how the season will go. We will try to push you more than last year when FCK were superb, but there should hopefully be more teams to challenge FCK, and thus annoy you at the top of the league. We would like to stand with the title at the end, but for now we’ll see how it goes. It is unrealistic to stand here and say that of course we will be champions once the season is over.
How do you think the game on Saturday will go?
- I hope it replicates the last time we met in Odense; so I hope for a victory and three points. We want to run away from you now. But it will be a meeting between two good teams, the names on paper say it all: great names, two title aspirants, and I think it will be a good fight to watch.
What do you see as FC Copenhagen's biggest threat?
- Dame N'Doye! I've marked N'Doye and he was valuable last season and also showed against SønderjyskE that he probably will be this time around. But we will do everything we can to keep him down, and it is not impossible to stop him: we are convinced we will, like our match at the end of last season.
FC Copenhagen v OB
FCK have met Odense 64 times and so far have recorded 27 victories, 19 draws and 18 defeats. 33 of these matches have been played in PARKEN, where the Lions have collected 14 victories, OB have won seven times, with 12 draws. As for scoring, FCK have notched up 50 goals against OB in PARKEN and 92 in total. OB have scored 77 overall in reply.
OB have not won in PARKEN since 17 May 2007, where they won the DBU Cup 2-1. When looking solely at the Superliga you have to go back even further. Hans Backe was the trainer in August 2003, while Ståle Solbakken was Copenhagen’s head coach. OB won 4-2.
Last season's clashes against OB
Last season's three games against Odense ended up with two victories for FC Copenhagen and one for OB, meaning the Funen side were one of only two teams in the 2010/11 season to beat FCK in the Superliga.
While the first meeting ended 3-2, a Dame N’Doye goal in the final minute rounded off a stunning two-goal deficit comeback, the second game between the clubs was far more one-sided. The Lions ran out 5-0 victors, César Santin netting a hat trick.
It was OB’s turn to play their opponents off the park when the sides met in Funen in the spring however. With Copenhagen already confirmed as champions, Odense needed a win to secure second place. They managed this, winning comfortably 3-0.
Changes to the OB Squad
In pre-season Odense said goodbye to Oliver Feldballe, whose contract expired. Gone also were Emil Ousager and Atle Roar Haaland, who both switched to AGF. In addition, Henrik Toft switched to AC Horsens, and then OB let Jonas Troest go to SønderjyskE.
But while some departed, others joined the club. Jacob Schoop (FC Fyn), Daniel Krog (Otterup B&IK) and Timmi Johansen (Viborg FF) all entered. Meanwhile, the squad has been strengthened with the Norwegian Tore Reginiussen, purchased from Schalke 04.
The latest of Odense’s acquisitions is Morten Skoubo, a free transfer from Dutch side Roda JC. It is still not known whether Skoubo will play on Saturday as he sat out OB’s first match against FC Nordsjælland.
