Champions League second qualifying round, first leg:
Crusaders v FC Copenhagen (Wednesday, Seaview, 7pm)
DANSKE Bank Premiership champions Crusaders face a tough task at Seaview on Wednesday as they take on FC Copenhagen in the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round clash.
The Crues are big underdogs against the Danish side, who had four players in the Sweden squad at Euro 2016. Copenhagen are Denmark’s most successful side and lifted their 11th Superliga title last season, finishing nine points clear of SonderjyskE, as well as winning the Danish Cup.
The Lions are making their 16th consecutive appearance in European football and memorably reached the last-16 of the 2010/11 Champions League, where they held eventual winners Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in their group, before narrowly losing to then English champions Chelsea in the knockout phase. They also beat Cliftonville 11-0 on aggregate in a 2009 Europa League qualifying clash.
Stale Solbakken’s team, who begin their domestic league campaign this Saturday, are without top scorer Nicolai Jorgensen, who has been sold to Feyenoord, but can call on 14-goal Paraguayan Federico Santander.
Crusaders, meanwhile, have strengthened their squad since the end of last season with the additions of Howard Beverland, Philip Lowry, David Cushley and Michael Gault. They are appearing in European competition for a fourth straight season after the successful defence of their league title last year, when they finished eight points clear of Linfield.
The Shore Road men will hope to repeat last year’s feat, which saw them knock out Levadia Tallinn of Estonia in the Champions League qualifiers. They also enjoyed an aggregate victory against Lithuania’s Ekranas in the 2014/15 Europa League.
Stephen Baxter’s side have played a couple of pre-season friendlies - against Bala Town and Annan Athletic - to help sharpen their fitness ahead of this tie and the opening game of the new league season on August 6 against Ballymena United.
They will hope that Paul Heatley, who was joint-top scorer in the Irish League last term, will be up to speed and that they can perhaps nick an advantage ahead of next week’s return leg.
