Man Utd are 'equal' to Copenhagen! Erik ten Hag sent bold message by opposing manager ahead of crucial Champions League clash

• United narrowly defeated Copenhagen last month
• Neestrup feels side were "equal" to PL team
• Also warned about Parken atmosphere

WHAT HAPPENED? The Danish side came within a stoppage-time penalty of earning a point at Old Trafford two weeks ago, with Andre Onana's heroics preserving a narrow 1-0 win. And Neestrup offered a warning to his Manchester counterparts ahead of the return fixture, claiming his side were "equal" to United last time out.

WHAT THEY SAID: “For me, it's not about hope," the Copenhagen boss told reporters on Tuesday. "For me, it's about strong belief that we can get a result. The penalty miss in the fifth minute of extra time was what it was, but it was a totally equal game. I was a little bit surprised about some of the questions I got after the game from English journalists in terms of that we were quite tough to break down. The talk we had at half-time in our dressing room was that we thought it was tough to break the opponent down. In that picture, I think the game over 95 minutes was totally equal and I expect the same tomorrow.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Indeed, Copenhagen go into Wednesday's matchup off the back of three straight wins in all competitions, with their last defeat coming at Old Trafford last month. By contrast, United have won just once - with that victory coming late on at Fulham last Saturday - conceding six in that time. As pressure builds on Erik ten Hag, Neerstup added that those at the Parken Stadium won't make it easy.

He added: “What can they [United] expect? I would say with all the respect I felt when I stepped into Old Trafford, then I felt the historical atmosphere. But you can’t compare Old Trafford with Parken because the intensity is times 100 in terms of what we played in two weeks ago. Then this is a standard [that], for me, is way above Premier League, to be honest."

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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X/ Alejandro Garnacho

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WHAT NEXT? United's clash at Copenhagen starts a run of important matches for Ten Hag's future. The Dutchman will be expected to pick up points both in Denmark and at home to Luton on Saturday, while any slip-ups will undoubtedly ramp up the pressure on the Red Devils boss.