FC Copenhagen vs TNS Predictions

TNS could see their Champions League journey come to an end on Wednesday, with a major turnaround needed for the Welsh champions to make it into the third qualifying round. They lost 2-0 at home to Copenhagen a week ago, now the pair meet in Denmark on Wednesday with the hosts in complete control of the tie. A likely meeting with Red Star awaits the winners of this one, but is there anything the Welsh outfit can do in order to put themselves into that third round fixture?

Copenhagen have already started their bid to return to this competition next season. They’ve won their opening three games of the Danish league season to make the perfect start to the Superliga campaign. They are also going well in the Champions League after winning their first clash, but can they finish the job here? The Danish side have been regulars in the group stage of both major European competitions in recent years, while another clean sheet would put them on their way towards the group stage again.

TNS have never survived two rounds in any European competition. The only time they made it past the second qualifying round in the Champions League was when they received a bye through the first, which ended with another swift exit for the Welsh outfit. While they can still drop into the Europa League qualifiers, their run in Europe’s premier competition seems to be over with the odds stacked against them for this week’s clash.

The hosts are massive favourites to win this clash, not even needing a win to make it through. They’re in a commanding position after winning on the road, but they need to stay focused to avoid a similar fate to their last appearance at this stage. They lost 2-1 at home to Zilina, resting on their away first-leg win to make it through. However, that was their only loss in nine matches here in this competition, including meetings with Leicester and Porto.

In those nine Copenhagen have kept six clean sheets, while they face a Welsh side who have failed to score in two of their last three on the road in this competition. We expect the Danish side to keep things tight and not overwork themselves as they secure progression. Their last 12 home European ties have seen fewer than four goals, with the only exception coming in a home loss to Atletico Madrid. This game should bring another low scoring affair, so we’re backing under 3.5 goals in this one.