Ramaj looks towards FCK debut and facing old club Heidenheim

New F.C. Copenhagen goalkeeper Diant Ramaj says he is looking forward to making his Lions debut in Parken on Thursday, in what happens to be against his former club FC Heidenheim in the UEFA Conference League.

Ramaj joined FC Heidenheim's academy in 2018 and was part of the first-team squad from 2019 to 2021 without making an official debut. He then moved to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2021 and two years later to AFC Ajax.

FCK take on the German Bundesliga side over two legs this February, and winter recruit Ramaj is getting ready for a big night in Parken on Thursday.

“It will of course be something very special,” said Ramaj. “I am very much looking forward to my first match in Parken and to meeting the fans for the first time. But first and foremost I'm hoping for a victory, because then it will be a dream debut for me. And hopefully the first of many victories.

“We have to be well prepared, because it could be a tough evening for us. I know Heidenheim and they're a very special club, when you look at the journey they have been on. You really have to respect that, because it’s not something you see every day in the big leagues.

“The coach Frank Schmidt and the goalkeeping coach Bernd Weng and several others are the same guys who have been there all the way up to the Bundesliga. They have really grown with the club, so it’s a bit of an adventure.

“When I was there, we played in the 2. Bundesliga, and several of the players from back then are still there, including goalkeeper Kevin Müller, so it’s a good group that always works hard for each other."

Heidenheim currently sit 16th in the Bundesliga but Ramaj is aware of the quality that runs through the team.

“This is European football, and it’s something completely different (to the domestic game)," he said. "We can expect a team that is quite physical. We have to be ready to face that, and it won’t be an easy challenge."