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Manchester United vs FC Copenhagen LIVE!
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side booked their place in the Europa League semi-finals by beating FC Copenhagen 1-0 in Cologne tonight.
2017 winners United topped Europa League Group L before heavy aggregate wins over Club Brugge and LASK and have now progressed through to the last four.
FC Copenhagen put up a good fight as they took the game to extra-time, but Fernandes' spot-kick following a foul on Anthony Martial was enough for a United win.
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Date, time and venue
Manchester United vs FC Copenhagen is scheduled for a 8pm BST kick-off on Monday, August 10, 2020.
The match will be played behind closed doors at the RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne, with no fans due to be present due to government guidelines regarding coronavirus.
How to watch
TV channel: The match will be televised live on BT Sport 1, with coverage starting from 7pm.
Live stream: BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
Team news
Man Utd lineup: Romero; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Williams; Pogba, Fred; Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Martial
Subs: De Gea, Fosu-Mensah, Lindelof, Mengi, Andreas, James, Lingard, Mata, Matic, McTominay, Chong, Ighalo
Copenhagen lineup: Johnsson, Varela, Nelsson, Bjelland, Boilesen, Zeca, Stage, Biel, Wind, Falk, Daramy
Subs: Andersen, Grytebust, Bengtsson, Papagiannopoulos, Bartolec, Oviedo, Mudrazija, Kaufmann, Boving, Hjaelmhof
Prediction: Man United 2-0 FC Copenhagen
The Danish side gave Istanbul a susprise in the last round, so United will have to be wary. However, with Solskjaer's star players having been afforded a much-needed rest, they should return and get the win.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
The sides have met twice before in Uefa competitions, back in the 2006/07 Champions League group stages.
Copenhagen won 1-0 in the Danish capital, but United won the return match 3-0 thanks to goals from Paul Scholes, John O'Shea and Kieran Richardson.
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KICK-OFF!
We are underway...
The teams are a little slow coming out here, presumably trying to keep cool in the air-conditioned dressing rooms as long as possible.
Just 15 minutes then until we get underway in Cologne for this unique summer tournament of sorts. There is of course, another quarter-final taking place tonight, too, as Inter Milan meet Bayer Leverkusen.
Plenty of respect between the two coaches tonight, with Solskjaer and Stale Solbakken going way back to their playing days in Norwegian football.
“I know how Stale has built the club and what they're about,” Solskjaer said. “Of course, I played against them when I was at Molde. I've known Stale for such a long time, and Copenhagen have a great history in getting into Europe and doing well in Europe.
“Stale's team, they've got individuals there and very good players. There are young forwards, three of them, to be fair, and experienced players in midfield and at the back. But I think the biggest strength is the teamwork and how well organised Stale's teams always are.”
Photo: Getty
With United having a huge first-leg lead behind them, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played what you might consider a conventional Europa League side against LASK last week.
No such approach here, as he makes six changes to the side, including bringing that much-lauded front five of Pogba, Greenwood, Fernandes, Martial and Rashford back into the line-up.
FC Copenhagen team news
Copenhagen XI: Johnsson, Varela, Nelsson, Bjelland, Boilesen, Zeca, Stage, Biel, Wind, Falk, Daramy
Subs: Andersen, Grytebust, Bengtsson, Papagiannopoulos, Bartolec, Oviedo, Mudrazija, Kaufmann, Boving, Hjaelmhof
Man United team news
Man United XI: Romero, Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Williams, Pogba, Fred, Fernandes, Greenwood, Rashford, Martial
Subs: De Gea, Fosu-Mensah, Lindelof, Mengi, Andreas, James, Lingard, Mata, Matic, McTominay, Chong, Ighalo
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Photo: Getty
Martial in peak physical form
Another Frenchman in Solskjaer's good books at the moment is Anthony Martial, with the United boss particularly pleased with his No.9's work in the gym.
Photo: Getty
“Anto has made huge strides this season in many aspects of his game,” began Ole. “Of course, I like him scoring between the posts, scoring simple goals, because we know he can score worldies.
“He’s in the gym a lot and working on his fitness and strength – the coaches have done a fantastic job with him.
“He’s physically at his best in his career, [and we're] looking forward to seeing him improving [with] more to come.”
Solskjaer delighted with Pogba since return
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been singing Paul Pogba's praises ahead of tonight's game, with the Frenchman having completed quite the turnaround since returning to fitness, having at one stage looked certain to leave the club this summer.
Photo: Getty
“I've answered numerous questions on Paul, and we're delighted that he's back playing. He's fit, he's enjoying his football,” said the Norwegian. “Of course, he's got to make up for lost time, and he's trying to do that.
“He's training extra, he's always a great personality in and around the place, and hopefully we can see him lift this trophy [like] he's done before. He's professional, he's a fantastic boy, and I'm delighted that we've got him in the team.”