In the first round of the UEFA Europa League round of 16, the previous champion Manchester City will challenge the Danish powerhouse Copenhagen on the road. City are in top form, with a 10-game unbeaten streak in all competitions and a clear advantage in overall strength. They are expected to take the initiative and have a very high chance of winning the game. The visitors are undoubtedly as hot as the lights, but whether they can savor the fruits of victory is still uncertain. Checking the stats of City's last six UEFA Europa League matches, the average number of goals scored in each match is 3 or more, and this match will be full of suspense if they are to equal the median goal tally of 2.5 goals. (Now 643 is live at 4am on Wednesday, so stay tuned!)
Copenhagen performed well in the group stage, edging out Galatasaray and Manchester United to advance to second place in the group. Their success was largely due to their aggressive attacking tactics, especially the 4-3 reversal of Manchester United at home, which greatly boosted the team's morale and confidence. Even against a traditional powerhouse like Bayern Munich, they managed to pick up points. Therefore, even if they face Manchester City, Copenhagen may not adopt a passive defense strategy.
In fact, if Copenhagen hopes to advance to the next round, they must seize the home field advantage in the first round and try to win. Otherwise, they will face a great challenge in the next round at Man City's home ground. In this match, Copenhagen will most likely let go and start a battle with Man City. Looking back at Copenhagen's last 4 UEFA home matches, they have scored in all of them. Even if they lose this match, they still have the strength to break the deadlock.
