Txiki Begiristain warns Man City not to make same mistake as Manchester United after Champions League draw

Manchester City must take FC Copenhagen seriously in their Champions League last-16 clash after seeing how much Manchester United struggled against the Danes in the group stage.

That is the warning from sporting director Txiki Begiristain, who knows that City's last-16 draw is far from easy having seen Copenhagen's exploits in Europe over the last two seasons. Last year, City beat Copenhagen at home comfortably but were held to a goalless draw in Denmark after Sergio Gomez's 30-th minute red card.

This season, Copenhagen finished second in a group containing Bayern Munich, United and Galatasaray, beating United at the Parken Stadium, and drawing away against the other two members of Group A.

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So while Begiristain is plotting City's journey through the knockout stages, he warned the club not to take Copenhagen for granted in February when they renew acquaintances with the Danish Superliga Champions.

He said: “In the group phase they played against Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Manchester United and they went through. The were the second-best team in the group so it means a lot. They have been better than Manchester United and Galatasaray, two clubs with a much more experience in the Champions League than them. So we have to be careful.

“We have to take it seriously and respect what they have done. They have something very good. We have already played Copenhagen so we go back to Copenhagen which is a wonderful place to visit. They played very well at home but what happened two years ago [in 2022] means nothing.”

With City's