Neestrup: We're 'feeling good' before Malmö first leg

F.C. Copenhagen face Malmö across the Øresund in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League third qualifying first leg and head coach Jacob Neestrup is confident heading into the fixture.

The Lions have won all of their five games so far this season, having beaten Fredericia 2-0 on Friday to move top of the Danish Superliga.

And with attention now turning back to European action, Neestrup knows what to expect from Tuesday's showdown in Sweden.

"We have a good feeling before the game tomorrow, and I'm sure our opponents do too," said Neestrup at Monday's press conference in Malmö.

"We have been performing well for a long time, we have a squad that is strong and fit, we have a strong starting XI, and we have strong players who can come on later in the game. So we have a good feeling, but I'm sure our opponents do too."

There has been plenty of media hype heading into this showdown from publications beyond Scandinavia and Neestrup is looking forward to the clash.

"It will be a classic Scandinavian game, because they are - like ourselves - a very strong team. They work really hard, they are skilled in their high press – especially at home, where they try to draw intensity from the stands, and I have told the players that you can compare it a bit to playing at Brøndby Stadium, just in light blue instead of yellow.

"That's why I also feel that we are really well prepared, both tactically and mentally, for the experiences that our group face playing in such stadiums. So I'm calm for tomorrow.

"It's about us being true to ourselves and we have to have a balanced approach to the game and be able to do more than just one thing. We can play direct, we are good at playing in the opponent's half, we are good at pressing high, but we can also defend deep, and that will be needed tomorrow too.

"There will be periods when we are the second best team, and when I set my team up for these games, I don't imagine that we will be the best team for 95 minutes. We have to try to stick the knife in during the periods when we are good and really good, and then we have to be sensible and calm in the periods when we come under pressure."

You can watch the entire press conference, which also included Viktor Claesson and Mohamed Elyounoussi, on the FCK app and on tv.fck.dk.

Youssoufa Moukoko misses the game with the injury that forced him out of Friday's Fredericia match, but it is not a serious injury. Neestrup did not rule out that he would be ready for the return game in a week.