Mølby: - This spring we have not lost at home
On Monday FC Copenhagen face AC Horsens in Jutland, where in all likelihood a difficult task awaits the Danish champions. Horsens head coach Johnny Mølby believes his side can easily provide tough opposition for the Lions.
by Joe Short
Before Monday's 19:00 kick off, FCK.DK spoke to Johnny Mølby, head coach of Horsens. The Jutland side were promoted to the Superliga last season, finishing champions of the Danish First Division. With only four games of the Superliga season now remaining, Horsens are five points clear of the relegation zone, and so will surely be looking for a win come Monday evening.
Horsens are sixth in the league with 35 points and are five points ahead of SønderjyskE. Has this been a satisfactory season for you?
- We're racking up points, and it means that our goal has been to survive. So I can only say that I am so far satisfied. In addition, I think in almost all matches this season we have been competitive, and that’s been really good to see. Defensively we've been really strong, and only Copenhagen have conceded fewer goals than us. But I must also admit that we haven’t been as sharp as we wanted to be offensively.
Keeping in mind your first 29 games in the Superliga, the game on Monday probably won’t be a goal-fest. What type of battle can we expect?
- It will be like the other games against Copenhagen, where most of them have been fairly close encounters. The first game of the season we lost 1-2, and here we even had to play with 10 men for a long spell. We also met FCK in the Ekstra Bladet Cup, a match that we won 4-2. So besides the most recent match that Copenhagen deserved to win – and where FCK showed they had an extra gear – I think generally the games have been close encounters this season.
So you think you have resources to claim maximum points on Monday?
- We know very well that Copenhagen have had a fabulous year, but this spring we have not lost at home and therefore believe that we can tease FCK. It is obviously a big task but we believe that we, thanks to home advantage, can stand up to the opposition, but I must say this will probably be another close encounter.
In this Superliga season Horsens have scored 23 goals overall, while Dame N'Doye has bagged 22 for Copenhagen alone. Will you focus particularly on N'Doye?
- No, we cannot commit our full attention to N'Doye. With so many talented players in the FCK squad, a special focus on N'Doye would just mean that there would be too much room for other players.
AC Horsens v FC Copenhagen
Looking at the formbook, one can be justified in expecting three points to be handed out somewhere at the end of the game. In 15 previous matches between the two clubs, there has never been a draw. Copenhagen have won 13 of past 15 games, while Horsens have won the other two.
The aggregate score between the two sides stands at 31-12 in Copenhagen’s favour.
Seven of the 15 matches have been played in Horsens. At the Casa Arena, Copenhagen have won six times and lost a single match, the aggregate score being 12-5 to the Lions.
The first of two Superliga clashes between the sides finished in a 2-1 win for Copenhagen. Back in August, Niels Lodberg opened the scoring to give Horsens a 1-0 lead, which was matched by a Sölvi Ottesen header in the middle of the first half. Just before half time Nabil Aslam was sent off and FC Copenhagen were awarded a penalty. However, Martin Vingaard missed the golden opportunity. Vingaard recovered from his mistake in the 75th minute to strike home, giving FCK a 2-1 lead they maintained until full time.
The latest showdown between the Lions and Horsens was played in PARKEN in early November. Here, César Santin opened the scoring early on and in the 14th minute Vingaard made it 2-0. In the second half Christian Bolaños increased the home side’s lead to three, and in the dying minutes Mathias Zanka pounced on a loose ball to secure a 4-0 win.
