The opponent of MŠK Žilina footballers in the round of 16 of the Youth Champions League will be FC Kodaň. Friday’s draw in Nyon, Switzerland decided that the Slovak representative will have the advantage of the home environment.
You could watch the draw of the youth Champions League round of 16 ONLINE at ŠPORT.sk >>
The Žilina team earned a place among the 16 best teams in the competition with a 2:1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the home playoff match on Wednesday. Substitute Michal Pekelský scored the winning goal in the 89th minute.
In addition to Copenhagen, coach Ivan Belák’s men could also get Racing Lens, Real Madrid, FC Salzburg, Feyenoord Rotterdam, AC Milan, Manchester City or FC Porto as opponents. The round of 16 is scheduled for 27/28. February.
In case of advancement to the quarter-finals, the players of Žilina will play against the winner of the match between FC Salzburg and FC Nantes. It would be played in Austria or France.
Reactions to the draw /source: www.mskzilina.sk/:
Ivan Belák, coach of Žilina: “The first impression was joy, since we were drawn as the home team. We were mainly interested in playing in front of our fans, which we did. It is really difficult to choose from these opponents, as they are the best European youth teams. Copenhagen is a little unknown to us , but the results from the group, where they left behind names like Bayern Munich, Manchester United or Galatasaray Istanbul, speak for them.
Now we have to study the opponent well and prepare for him. Football in the Nordic countries has been growing very fast in recent years, and especially among the youth, they are among the best. We clearly expect great quality from Copenhagen. We believe that the stadium will be full again, even if it doesn’t sound as good as Borussia Dortmund on paper. I personally tipped Copenhagen at home, so I hope we do as well as when I correctly guessed Paphos.”
Jaroslav Bačík, director of the MŠK Žilina Academy: “We are very happy to play at home, we all wanted that for the sake of the fans. Copenhagen is a very interesting opponent, we don’t often meet teams from Scandinavia. It is a multiple champion of the country and a participant in the youth Champions League with many representatives in the starting line-up.
Just look at the results in the basic group in which they defeated the big clubs. At this stage of the competition, the quality of the teams is similar, so I believe in a good duel. I think two similar styles will meet, we’re looking forward to it.”
Draw of the round of 16 of the Youth Champions League AZ Alkmaar – FC Porto
AC Milan – SC Braga
Real Madrid – RB Leipzig
MŠK ŽILINA – FC Copenhagen
FC Salzburg – FC Nantes
Olympiakos Piraeus – Racing Lens
Bayern Munich – Feyenoord Rotterdam
1. FSV Mainz 05 – Manchester City
Quarter-final draw1. winner 1. FSV Mainz 05/Manchester City – winner AZ Alkmaar/FC Porto
2nd winner FC Salzburg/FC Nantes – winner MŠK ŽILINA/FC Copenhagen
3. winner Bayern Munich/Feyenoord Rotterdam – winner Olympiakos Pireus/Racing Lens
4. AC Milan/SC Braga winner – Real Madrid/RB Leipzig winner
Next program 27./28. February 2024: round of 16
12/13 March 2024: quarter-finals
April 19, 2024: semi-finals
April 22, 2024: final
2024-02-09 13:42:45
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