Napoli's Højlund reflects on being back in Parken

Former F.C. Copenhagen forward Rasmussen Højlund is back in the Danish capital ahead of his team SSC Napoli's UEFA Champions League showdown with the Lions on Tuesday.

Højlund stepped forward on Monday night to speak to the media in Parken ahead of the game, and spoke highly of his time at the club.

"As they say in Italian, Parken is a warm stadium, there are good fans, and there's an atmosphere here," said the Denmark international. "I'm sure FCK will bring the whole package, especially after a month of Christmas break. So yes, it will be good."

Napoli sit 23rd in the League Phase, while FCK are a position below. A win for either side would go a long way to securing safe passage to the knockout stage.

"It's obviously important for us to win," said Højlund. "We're level on points with FCK, and of course we still have a home game against Chelsea, but it's clear that it gives us a better starting point if we can win the game.

"We've been hit a bit hard with injuries, but I still think we have an incredibly strong group and a strong mentality, which means that we can hopefully get promotion."

On his reunion with Parken and Copenhagen, Højlund added: "Of course I am incredibly happy to be back. I have been really looking forward to this match ever since I knew I was going to play for Napoli.

"The draw had already been made, and I have been looking forward to this match since that day.

"I also have to avenge last time (when FCK beat Manchester United in Parken), so I hope that of course I can win and get a better result than last time."

FCK head coach Jacob Neestrup and centre forward Andreas Cornelius praised Højlund on Monday, and the forward responded: "Well, it's of course nice to get some words of praise along the way. Like Romelu, Corner has also been one of those who I looked at when I was a little younger.

"They called me Mini Corner in the youth teams, so it's really fun that I'm going to play against him tomorrow. So thank you for those words, one's a talented footballer and the other a talented coach."

Assessing FCK's squad, Højlund added: "It's a slightly different squad than when I was there, but there are still good players, and I think (Jordan) Larsson is talented. I think (Mohamed) Elyounoussi is a talented player, and Corner.

"And I really like the new young (Viktor) Dadason, I think he's really exciting. Now I won't praise him too much, but I think he has the whole package. He'll be exciting to follow if he can keep his feet on the ground and focus on getting better."