Beijmo and Rúnarsson optimistic ahead of Turku first leg

F.C. Copenhagen face FC Inter Turku on Thursday in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League playoff – and both Felix Beijmo and Alex Rúnarsson are optimistic the Lions can deliver in Finland.

In recent years the team has usually trained at Number 10 before flying to away games in Europe the day before the match. This time, the squad departed on Wednesday morning from Roskilde and underwent an hour of training in Turku at 5pm local time (4pm Danish time).

Reflecting on the training session on artificial turf when speaking to FCK.dk, Felix Beijmo said: "It was good that we tested the field today, because it is a little different than what we are used to at home in Parken.

"It is always a little special when you have to play the ball more directly to your teammate, and it is also a little different in the pressing game. But we know it and we also won a couple of weeks ago in Silkeborg, so I have a good feeling from that match.

"But it could be a tough match tomorrow. We're up against a good team who are quick to change direction and are good on the ball when they get the time. We have to make sure we come out with an aggressive stance and control the match the way we want it.

"We've been playing better and better and have had some good defensive performances, and it's important that we are solid defensively, because we have a lot of quality up front, who will probably score a lot of goals, just like in the last few games."

Goalkeeper Alex Rúnarsson will likely be between the sticks tomorrow for his seventh FCK appearance, since Dominik Kotarski is not in the squad in Turku. And the experienced keeper is ready to step in as always.

"Hopefully I won't have to make too many saves," said Rúnarsson after training.

"It's always a little different on artificial turf, but we're coming in with a lot of confidence. We've won a lot of games and had a good start to the season, so we're going into the game with both confidence and respect for our opponents.

"I hope I can do what I have to do and help the team as best as possible."

When Rúnarsson, 31, replaced Kotarski in Randers on Sunday, it was the 19th time we changed a keeper during a competitive game – the last time it happened was on 24 April 2022, when Kamil Grabara was injured at the start of an away game in Aalborg and was replaced by Kalle Johnsson.