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FC Copenhagen v Hearts: What can Scottish side expect?

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FC Copenhagen v Hearts: What can Scottish side expect?

Copenhagen’s strength undoubtedly is their attack, having only failed to score twice in their 30 matches this season.

Former Celtic forward Mohamed Elyounoussi is the standout, scoring nine goals and setting up a further nine so far this term, leading him to be named as the Super League’s best player for the first half of the campaign.

Brazilian teenager Robert Silva is also quick and evasive down the left, while experienced striker Andreas Cornelius acts as the focal point.

They have plenty of experience in midfield too, with former Borussia Dortmund player Thomas Delaney and captain Viktor Claesson boasting over 150 international caps between them for Denmark and Sweden, respectively.

Especially with the backing of a rowdy home crowd at the 38,000-capacity Parken Stadium, Copenhagen will look to get on top of Hearts and dominate.

Defensively, though, they are vulnerable. They have kept one clean sheet in their past 14 games and there is a sense their individual quality is getting the results rather than team cohesion.

They don’t defend aggressively, which means they can be exploited with balls into their box, and the goals they conceded against Basaksehir and Minsk in particular were down to bad individual errors.

The back four have been caught out repeatedly with balls in behind throughout their Conference League campaign as well.

Lawrence Shankland scored twice against Dundee to end a 12-game goal drought, which will do his confidence the world of good.

But whether a side averaging a little over a goal a game in the Scottish Premiership has the tools to take advantage of Copenhagen’s vulnerabilities is less clear.

Hearts fans are being given an entire stand behind one of the goals at Parken Stadium – which includes a Michelin Star Restaurant on the eighth floor – as around 3,000 prepare to make the trip from Edinburgh.

It will take Hearts’ best performance of a stuttering season to ensure their supporters can dine out on this adventure for years to come.

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