Ståle: Istanbul Basaksehir will be close
F.C. Copenhagen manager Ståle Solbakken believes the Lions' UEFA Europa League last-16 tie with Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir will be a close contest.
FCK beat Celtic to progress to the last-16 of the competition and drew Istanbul at Friday's UEFA draw.
"I don't know the team so well, but I know their forward, Fredrik Guldbrandsen, because I played many matches with his father, Tom Guldbrandsen, in the Lillestrøm midfield in the mid 1990s, so I know the family well," says Ståle.
"They are top of the Turkish league and I've seen a bit of one of their matches, but otherwise I don't have enough knowledge of their team to say so much.
"But I think we have the opportunity to create a good starting point in the first match and then have the decisive match in a full Telia Parken.
"Of course, I hope that we can again create two close matches, but we will certainly come under pressure down there.
"They are a team that has been given a lot of resources in recent years, but now we have to start studying them more closely. First, however, an important home game against AaB awaits on Sunday."