Lyngby Boldklub and Copenhagen get their 2023-24 SuperLiga campaign underway when they go head to head at the Lyngby Stadion on Saturday.
Having successfully defended the league crown last season, Jacob Neestrup's men now begin their quest for a record-equalling third successive Danish top-flight title.
Match preview
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Lyngby Boldklub will be looking to pick up the pieces following a disappointing 2022-23 campaign, where they finished only above the relegation zone on goal difference.
De kongebla picked up three wins, six draws and lost 13 of their opening 22 matches to sit just one point above rock-bottom Aalborg and drop into the relegation round.
Lyngby picked up three wins and three draws in their 10 matches of the relegation round to take their total point tally to 28 and finish just above Horsen in the final relegation spot on goal difference.
Freyr Alexandersson's men endured an underwhelming run of results in pre-season, where they managed just one win in their four matches while losing twice and claiming one draw.
Their only friendly victory came against Hvidovre in their final warm-up game on July 15, when Iceland international Alfred Finnbogason netted the only goal of the game four minutes after the hour mark.
While Lyngby will look to build on that result, they face the stern challenge of taking on an opposing side who are unbeaten in each of their last eight meetings, including three consecutive wins in their most recent three clashes.
Neestrup's side enjoyed a superb 2022-23 campaign as they successfully retained their league title while also clinching the Danish Cup crown for the first time since 2017.
Copenhagen eased through the first phases of the season, picking up 42 points from their first 22 games to sit in second place and progress to the Championship round.
They picked up five wins, two draws and lost three of their final 10 matches to clinch the league title for the second season on the bounce, finishing above runners-up Nordsjaelland by just four points.
Copenhagen went unbeaten across all competitions in their final five games of the season, claiming four wins in that time, including a 1-0 victory over AaB in the Danish Cup final on May 18.
Former Benfica man Diogo Goncalves grabbed the headlines in that encounter as he scored the only goal of the game in the 48th minute to hand the Byens Hold a ninth cup title and their first since beating Brondby 3-1 in the final back in the 2016-17 campaign.
This strong end to the season helped Copenhagen leapfrog Nordsjaelland in the league table as Johannes Thorup's men picked up just three wins in their 10 matches in the Championship round.
The 15-time Superliga champions were involved in three pre-season games, claiming successive wins over Silkeborg and Schalke before wrapping up their friendly schedule with a 3-2 loss against Czech Republic side Viktoria Plzen.
With their Champions League qualification tie against Iceland-based side Breidablik Kopavogur on the horizon, Copenhagen will look to get a morale-boosting win on the board and put together a fine run of form.
Team News
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Lyngby have brought in experienced defender Magnus Jensen from Horsen to bolster their defensive option and the 26-year-old could be handed his debut
Veteran striker Finnbogason netted the winner against Hvidovre last weekend, but Frederik Gytkjaer should lead the attack, alongside Saevar Atli Magnusson, who scored six league goals last season.
As for Copenhagen, Neestrup will still be unable to call upon the services of 30-year-old defender Davit Khocholava, who has been sidelined since April through a knee injury.
Twenty-year-old midfielder Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, who scored four goals and registered four assists in the league last season, recently completed a move to French side Lille.
Following a successful loan spell, the Byens Hold have completed the permanent signing of Jordan Larsson from Schalke and the Swedish forward should lead the attack this weekend.
He should be joined in the final third by Goncalves and Viktor Claesson, while Christian Sorensen, Kevin Diks, Denis Varo and Valdemar Lund should form the back four shielding Kamil Grabara in goal.
Lyngby Boldklub possible starting lineup:
Kikkenborg; Hey, Bjelland, Gregor; Finnsson, Chukwuani, Romer, Winther, Storm; Gytkjaer, Magnusson
Copenhagen possible starting lineup:
Grabara; Sorensen, Diks, Varo, Lund; Jensen, Lerager, Bardghji; Goncalves, Claesson, Larsson
We say: Lyngby Boldklub 0-2 Copenhagen
Copenhagen would have hoped for an easy opening-day fixture and will be thanking their stars as they take on a Lyngby side who have failed to win their last eight encounters.
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Top tip
Joshua Ojele
