Viborg will take on Copenhagen in the Danish Superliga on Thursday, 18 July, as a new season of domestic football begins once again in Denmark.
The hosts will be relatively pleased with how they performed last season, as they continue to establish themselves as a Superliga side following their promotion in 2021.
Copenhagen, meanwhile, are the reigning Superliga champions and will be desperate to start their title defence with a win on the road.
How the bookies view it: The visitors go in as the team to beat
Copenhagen are the favourites to win this match with the bookies, but that is something they are used to as champions. BoyleSports have priced an away win at 3/5, while a win for Viborg has been priced at 7/2. The draw, which would be welcomed by the hosts, has been priced at 14/5.
Head to head: A rematch of the recent cup final
Last season, these two teams were drawn to play each other in the Norwegian Cup semi-finals and despite having high hopes beforehand, Viborg were swept aside by Copenhagen with relative ease in both legs. Prior to those clashes, Viborg had a respectable recent record against Copenhagen, losing just one of their last four matches against them.
Players to watch: All eyes are on the replacement forwards
Both Viborg and Copenhagen have had no option but to sell their best players this summer, with Viborg losing last season's top goalscorer, Isak Jensen, to AZ Alkmaar and Copenhagen losing their prestigious talent, Roony Bardghji to Barcelona.
Although Bardghji's 2024/25 season was cut short by injury, there is still a belief he will go on and become a good player for Barcelona, but that is now not their corner, and the club must move on swiftly if they are to retain their title.
The loss of Isak Jensen to Viborg is almost certainly going to be more significant. The talented winger was the club's top goalscorer in all competitions last year, netting 12 goals in all competitions.
Looking to replace Jensen's goals this season is the new signing, Dorian Hanza, who has recently penned a deal with the club after signing him from Marbella.
Predicted line-ups
Both sides are dealing with injury issues ahead of this one. Viborg continue to be without the services of Zan Zalatel and Oliver Bundgaard Kristensen, with the duo still in recovery after cruciate ligament injuries. Meanwhile, Copenhagen will start the season without Alex Runarsson and Andreas Cornelius.
Viborg: Hedvall – Bidstrup, Anyembe, Nasberg, Kuzmic – Jorgensen, Vester, Sondergaard – Njoh, Hanza, Horneman
Copenhagen: Kotarski – Huescas, Pereira, Hatzidiakos, Lopez – Larsson, Froholdt, Delaney, Achouri – Elyounoussi, Moukoko
Anything else catch the eye?
Copenhagen ended last season in very confident fashion, winning their last three matches without conceding a goal in the process. Meanwhile, Vibor aren't the type of team to put up a fight if they do go behind. Vibor to score under 0.5 goals has been priced at 11/8 by BoyleSports.
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