Bisgaard previews FCK U19s Youth League quarter-final

F.C. Copenhagen's U19 team face FC Nantes in the UEFA Youth League quarter-final on Tuesday and head coach Morten Bisgaard says everyone has done their research heading into the big match.

"We saw their last-16 match, where they won 1-0 in Salzburg and they played a lot on the counter," says Bisgaard. "We have also seen their previous Youth League match against Sevilla, where they pushed a little further forward, but did not press very much, so it may well be a game where we have the ball a lot.

"If we are good enough, I think we can move the ball around them and hopefully also keep the ball in their third and create chances. But we also know, from what we've seen, that they are deadly on counterattacks, so our defence must be top notch."

The U19 squad trained for an hour on Monday afternoon at the Stade Marcel Saupin in the centre of Nantes, where FC Nantes' U19 team usually plays home games. Tuesday's quarter-final will be played at the first team's home ground, the Stade de la Beaujoire.

Almost 14,000 spectators were in the stands when FC Nantes last played a home game and beat Sevilla in the Youth League playoff in February, and even more are expected on Tuesday.

"It will be a cool atmosphere for both teams, because games like this don't happen that often for them either, so there is also a pressure of expectation on them," adds Bisgaard.

"I have seen that their first team is not doing so well at the moment and is actually facing relegation. They've lost the last six home games in the stadium where we are going to play. I don't know if we can use that for our much, but we are also just happy that this is the kind of game we are going to play. There is some hype around the match and there will be a lot of noise, so it will be a good experience for them."

FC Nantes are two-time U19 French champions and have reached the quarter-finals via the Youth League's 'Champions Path'.

"They have gone to penalties in three out of four rounds, against Lech Poznan, HJK and Sevilla, and they beat Salzburg in regular time," says Bisgaard. "But the Austrians also hit the post in extra time, so it could easily have gone to penalty kicks there as well.

"But we were good in the shootout in Zilina, so we're not afraid of that. But we hope that we can be at our best in the first 90 minutes. The boys showed that they are ready for a shootout if it comes to that."

Victor Froholdt is expected to be included in the final 18-man squad for the match on Tuesday evening and Bisgaard is happy to have him in the fold.

"He is a class player, and in addition to everything he can do on the field, it's also impressive how he has tackled this transition phase, dropping in and out of the first team," says the head coach. "From playing the Champions League on Wednesday, he will now play an U19 match, just like he did when we faced Midtjylland. I'm not surprised, he just handles it all in a classy way."