Manchester United vs Copenhagen Europa League preview: where to watch, team news

Copenhagen meet Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in Cologne on 10 August at 21:00 CET.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.

The teams

Manchester United (ENG)
UEFA ranking: 9
Domestic position: 3 (final match: 26 July)
Last five games (most recent first): WWDLW
How they got there: Group L winners, 6-1 Club Brugge (R32), 7-1 LASK (R16)
Last season: UEFA Champions League quarter-finals (L vs Barcelona)
Quarter-final record: P1 W1 L1 (most recent: 2016/17, W vs Anderlecht)
Previous UEFA Cup/Europa League best: winners (2016/17)

Copenhagen (DEN)
UEFA ranking: 35
Domestic position: 2 (final match: 26 July)
Last five games: WWWLD
How they got there: Group B runners-up, 4-2 Celtic (R32), 3-1 Başakşehir (R16)
Last season: group stage (fourth)
Quarter-final record: N/A
Previous UEFA Cup/Europa League best: round of 16 (2016/17)

Possible line-ups

Manchester United: Romero; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelöf, Maguire, Williams; Matić, Pogba; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial
Out: Jones (knee)

Copenhagen: Johansson; Varela, Nelsson, Bjelland, Boilesen; Stage, Zeca; Pep Biel, Wind, Falk; Kaufmann
Out: Santos (suspended), Sigurdsson (unspecified), Fischer (groin), Thomsen (unspecified)

Reporters' views

Matthew Howarth, Manchester United reporter: After completing the formalities of victory against LASK on Wednesday, United will be looking to step up a gear in Cologne. The Red Devils ended their league season on a run of 14 unbeaten games, and if they can carry that form into this mini-tournament they stand an excellent chance of ending their three-year wait for a trophy.

Sture Sandø, Copenhagen reporter: Huge underdogs in their first ever European quarter-final – and first for any Danish team since 1997 – Copenhagen will be motivated by the last meeting between these clubs, when they beat United 1-0 at home in November 2006. The Danish side will be hoping United underestimate them, though that is unlikely given that their respective Norwegian coaches know each other well. However, the Copenhagen players have nothing to lose in the biggest game of their careers, while the single-match format on neutral ground increases the chances of an upset.

What the coaches say

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, United manager: "I used to play with Ståle Solbakken, he’s a good friend of mine – we’ve been in touch. We wished each other good luck [before the last matches] and said hope to see you in Germany. They did their job, we did our job, so on to the next one. Ståle's teams are always well organised and difficult to play against. Very talented young players with experience. It’s going to be a difficult one."

Ståle Solbakken, Copenhagen coach: "United are big, big favorites. It's about executing our game as [well] as possible, and obviously we have to take care of many of the aspects that Manchester United have to their game. They are very fast and are good at counterattacking since [Bruno] Fernandes arrived. They also do very quick combinations around the box. It’s a lot of things to be scared about, but we just have to make sure that we follow the plan and see how far that brings us."

What's next

The winners of this tie will face Wolves or Sevilla in the semi-finals on Sunday 16 August in Cologne, with the final at the same venue five days later.