Neestrup previews Saturday clash at Lyngby

F.C. Copenhagen head coach Jacob Neestrup expects a tough 2023/24 Superliga opener against Lyngby on Saturday and admits he was impressed by last season's "miracle makers".

Lyngby escaped relegation last term and Neestrup knows all too well that his Lions team will need to be prepared for the weekend's action.

"You can call them miracle makers, and we have that much respect for their Great Escape, as they themselves called it," says Neestrup.

"I'm not going to judge which performance was the biggest (Lyngby surviving or FCK winning the double), but it was impressive that they pulled through after being so far behind.

"Now everyone starts fresh, and we are looking forward to Saturday. It is a great game to start with in a packed and intimate stadium, where we'll also have many away fans.

"I think it will be an intense match. They can play their first "free" match in a very long time.

"We are preparing for them to enjoy themselves, and therefore for us it is about finding quality in the things we can do from start to finish."

FCK now face a busy fixture period with two matches per week for the next month-and-a-half. But that is naturally also part of Neestrup and the staff's considerations.

"That's how it should be at FCK, but first of all it's now about the Lyngby game, and then on Sunday we start preparing for what happens afterwards," says Neestrup.

"Of course we have thought about what the next seven days might look like, but tomorrow we will field the team that we believe gives us the best chance of winning. This applies both to those who start and to the players we can send on during the match.

"It's about getting a good start in the Superliga, which unfortunately we haven't been in the habit of for quite a few seasons."