The final game of the Champions League initial phase sees FC Barcelona host FC Copenhagen on 28 January 2026 at 9pm CET. The Danish league champions could well arrive in Barcelona with everything still to play for in the eighth round of matches in the league phase of the competition and there is an optimism about the side from the capital with a young, exciting squad and a young coach as well. 

Opponents 

FC Copenhagen are coached by 37 year old Jacob Neestrup, who has been in the job for three years now at the club. The Dane began coaching at the age of 25 after injury cut short his promising playing career. 

Neestrup

Neestrup took over in 2022/23 after spells as assistant coach at FC Copenhagen and time coaching the Second Division with Viborg. In three seasons as boss his team have won two league titles and two Danish Cups and he has moulded the side in his image; young and exciting with plenty of home grown talent. 

One Barça player who knows Neestrup well is Roony Bardghji. The Kuwaiti born Swedish U21 international spent four seasons at FC Copenhagen and was a key member of the team before joining the blaugranes in the summer of 2025. The Danes are taking part in the Champions League for the seventh time in their history after coming through qualifying ties against Kosovan side Drita, Swedish rivals Malmö and Basel from Switzerland. 

Players to watch 

FC Copenhagen have a truly international squad with some 15 nationalities represented. As well as players from Denmark and fellow Nordic countries Sweden and Iceland, there are also representatives from Germany, Brazil and lesser known footballing nations such as Zimbabwe. 

In goal Croatian keeper Dominik Kotarski arrived in the summer from Greek club PAOK. The Americas are well represented in the back four with Brazilian Gabriel Pereira, Peruvian Marcos López and 21 year old Mexican Rodrigo Huescas. Coach Neestrup has also added 19 year old French full back Yoran Zague on loan from PSG. 

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In midfield experience comes in the form of 34 year old former Sevilla man Thomas Delaney and fellow Danish international Lukas Leranger. Unfortunately for Neestrup, Magnus Mattsson, another key figure in the centre of the pitch, picked up a serious knee injury in the Champions League tie against Basel and will be out for the rest of the season. 

Norwegian striker Mohamed Elyounoussi has experience of playing in the Premier League with Southampton and in Scotland. Captain Viktor Claesson is a fixture in the Swedish national side and fellow Swedish international Jordan Larsson is the son of former blaugrana Henrik. Finally, a lot is expected of big summer signing Youssoufa Moukoko, a 20 year old talented striker who set a number of records in his time with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. 

Previous meetings 

The game in January will be the third meeting between the two clubs. The previous matches came in the group stage of the Champions League group stage in the 2010/11 campaign. At Spotify Camp Nou two goals from Leo Messi have Barça a 2-0 win but the Danes were able to take a point in the return after a 1-1 draw in Copenhagen. 

History

FC Copenhagen is a relatively young club in footballing terms having been formed in 1992 following a merger between clubs Kjøbenhavns Boldklub and Boldklubben 1903. The construction of the new stadium of Parken in the early 1990s led to the two clubs combining to form FC Copenhagen in the hope of challenging the dominant team of the time in Danish Football, Brøndby. 

After early success and a league title, another decade would pass before the club from the capital reigned supreme in the Danish Super League. In 2006/07 they competed in the Champions League group stage for the first time and in 2010/11 they became the first Danish side to reach the knock out stages of the competition after finishing second in the group phase behind Barça. FC Copenhagen repeated the feat in 2023/4 when they lost in the round of 16 to Manchester City. 

 

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