Neestrup: First leg in Parken an advantage for FCK

F.C. Copenhagen will take on Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 next spring and head coach Jacob Neestrup is looking forward to the challenge.

"It is the most difficult draw possible. Manchester City are a team that is complete in their collective play and with great individuals too. They are the world's best club team," says Neestrup.

"Having said all that, we also showed last year that we can get the job done with a good result at home against them, even if they had a red card. It's about seizing the opportunities we get and producing a useful result (at home) that can take us to Manchester with a good starting point."

Parken advantage
City won the Champions League last year as part of a historic treble. They beat FCK 5-0 at the Etihad in last season's Champions League group stage but the Lions earned a 0-0 draw in Parken during the same campaign.

"We have delivered some really great performances this autumn in our Champions League group, and those matches of course give us valuable experience and a belief that it is possible to earn a great result in Parken," adds Neestrup.

"And we see it as an advantage that we start at home in Parken, which over the years has proven to give us massive support."

Time to show Copenhagen's best side
This is only the second time FCK have reached the Champions League knockout stages and Neestrup is proud with the progress the tram have made so far.

"We are really looking forward to getting started again," he adds. "It will be huge to go out and show Copenhagen off again. It's going to be big, and we have to fight with everything we possibly can to make everyone proud."