Kvist: Lokomotiv are at Champions League level

Discussing the match, Kvist said: "In 2010, we also faced a Russian team in Rubin Kazan and that, of course, gives us some hope of a good start to this group.

“But here we meet the strongest team in the group even though they were only second seeds.

“Lokomotiv are a team at the same level we could have met in the Champions League group stages, and is probably the most well-known of the three teams we have drawn.”

FCK head into the clash having beaten FC Midtjylland 4-3 in the Alka Superliga on Sunday.

The Lions also face Moldovan side Sheriff and Czech outfit Zlin in the Europa League.

Manager Ståle Solbakken said: "Over the years, we have met many good teams from Eastern Europe, which have become very strong and have been given a lot of money and talent, so it can be difficult to progress.

“I do not even know the other teams in the group that well yet, but it’s a group we should be able to move on from. That is our ambition.”

Ståle was asked on the balance between playing European and domestic football, especially considering the start to FCK’s Superliga title defence.

"I will field a different team against Lokomotiv to get a better chance of beating Helsingør on Sunday,” he said.

“We are in the Europa League to progress and we are in the Superliga to win and apart from just a few players everyone can play two matches in three days.

“Peter Ankersen may not be fully fit even after his injury, but he is also suspended on Sunday, and Rasmus Falk played his first full half on Sunday and is probably not a 90-minute player yet.

“The new players do not know my physical demands and Denis Vavro was tired after Sunday because he had to run up and down the defence more than he is used to.

“But I do not think there is any problem with the position he is playing. As for Carlos Zeca, when you have seen him under the shower, he looks like someone who can run a marathon for Ethiopia.”

F.C. Copenhagen do, however, play Skive in the DBU Cup next Wednesday and for Ståle that will be an opportunity to mix his squad around.

“We will give game time to more of those who have not had so much yet,” he said.

“It’s exactly as we have always done in all the years I've been here. But we could not dream of downgrading the European League when we’ve reached this far.

“A draw can be a useful result tomorrow, but of course we will play to win. And if the result is 0-0 but we beat them 6-1 on chances, we'll probably be disappointed afterwards. But now we have to see.

“Lokomotiv started really strong in the Russian league but have fallen a bit over the last two matches, but it is a team with many individual qualities, so a draw can easily be a sensible result in the long run.”

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