Andreas Cornelius

Neestrup has FCK 'heading in right direction' ahead of Dortmund

F.C. Copenhagen head coach Jacob Neestrup is expecting another close UEFA Champions League encounter in Parken on Wednesday when Borussia Dortmund arrive in the Danish capital.

FCK have already held Sevilla and Manchester City to goalless draws in Parken, and need a win to have any chance of finishing third in the group.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's 9pm kick off, Neestrup said: "The spirit is good because we feel we are heading in the right direction.

"Tomorrow it's all about continuing to show that we can be competitive, especially at home in the Champions League.

"We left a good impression last week in Sevilla despite the result, and tomorrow we will go for three points to add to our two draws against Sevilla and Manchester City in Parken."

FCK came close to beating City last time in Parken and, while they lost 3-0 in Seville last week, the mood in the camp remains high.

The Lions head into Wednesday's fixture off the back of a 2-0 Superliga victory over Randers at the weekend, and then have just three more games before the World Cup break.

"It is our aim to produce an intense and equal display against a really strong team, regardless of which players they bring," added Neestrup. "There is a lot to play for tomorrow. There will been 35,000 on the terraces that we must go out there and perform. There are important coefficient points at stake both for us as a club and for Danish football. And we have a responsibility for that."

Andreas Cornelius left out
Neestrup also confirmed that striker Andreas Cornelius will not feature on Wednesday as he continues to recover from injury. David Khocholava is also suspended, but the boss is still confident of fielding a strong XI.

"Corner is not available  tomorrow, but it's not because he's injured," says Neestrup. "We choose not to risk anything because he's not yet (at a position) where he can play games continuously midweek-weekend-midweek.

"So we're just taking our precautions, although it is of course a shame both on our behalf and on Corner's behalf. But it is the right decision considering that he must be ready for the match on Sunday against Lyngby."

Mamoudou Karamoko is fit again after recovering from his injury.

The match against Dortmund kicks off on Wednesday at 9pm in Parken. There are still a limited number of tickets on sale for FCK fans for the match.

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