Copenhagen’s Squad Features Game-Deciding Players

Mohamed Elyounoussi, a forward for Copenhagen and former Celtic player who was on loan from Southampton for two years starting in 2019, is among several Copenhagen players that Hearts should monitor closely during their Conference League encounter on Thursday. With only five points accumulated from their initial three matches – one less than Hearts – the Danish team is in urgent need of a win. Despite their current standing, Danish football journalist Sebastian Stanbury suggests that Copenhagen’s squad possesses the necessary quality to secure a victory. Stanbury elaborated on this point during an appearance on the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast, stating: “They have many players who are able to decide a game. Elyounoussi, he’s not always the player who takes the game by the scruff of the neck and dictates it, but he very often decides it.” He added, “They have a couple of players like that. Viktor Claesson can do it, Andreas Cornelius on a good day can do it. Thomas Delaney, the former national player of Denmark, can do it.” Stanbury concluded by emphasizing, “They have players who are able to decide a game and that’s very important for them and has been very important for them.” According to Stanbury, the prevailing sentiment in Denmark is that Copenhagen is expected to defeat Hearts. However, he noted a degree of apprehension stemming from their prior home performances in the tournament. Their home record in the competition includes a loss to Polish team Jagiellonia Bialystok, followed by a 2-2 draw against Istanbul Basaksehir. Stanbury further commented on their performance, stating: “They haven’t really been dominating the matches as much as we would have expected considering they are the biggest side in Denmark.” He continued, “They should beat Hearts but they haven’t proven this far that they have been able to win those type of matches at home.”