Denmark's Copenhagen travel north to Finland to battle KuPS on Thursday night. The two club's will kick off their Europa League first qualifying round fixture in front of KuPS's home support. The game should be evenly matched despite Copenhagen's reputation as a major Scandinavian club.
Copenhagen finished fourth in last season's Danish domestic league and only qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round via the Superliga's European playoffs. Meanwhile, KuPS finished second in the Veikkausliiga qualifying them for the first stage of qualifying matches for the Europa League.
KuPS come into the fixture in the middle of their domestic competition. The spring to autumn Finnish top-flight kicked off in April and runs until October. After 19 matches, KuPS sit fourth in the Veikkausliiga table, 13 points out of first place. The team has scored 31 goals while conceding 29 times. KuPS have only won once in their last five fixtures. They have been shipping goals and their porous defence could play right into Copenhagen's hands.
The Finnish team hasn't appeared in a UEFA competition since 2012-13. The club is in relatively unchartered water compared to their Danish opponents. In KuPS's last appearance in a European competition, the club nearly secured group stage football, but were beaten in their third qualifying round series. Now, the team will need to win four knockout ties to make the group stage while competing in their domestic league.
Copenhagen manager Stale Solbakken will have his work cut out for him. His team are preparing for their Danish Superliga campaign. However, the club won't kick off the season until after the weekend. Copenhagen's trip comes three days prior to their first league match. It will give KuPS an upper hand when it comes to fitness.
Due to Copenhagen's reputation, the club go into the fixture as the favourites. However, KuPS's fitness and chemistry shouldn't be overlooked on Thursday night. In addition, the Finnish team will be playing at home in front of hometown supporters. KuPS could make life very difficult for Copenhagen.
The Danish side should progress to the second qualifying round. It won't be easy against KuPS, who could put a lot of strain on Copenhagen over two legs. KuPS have the fortune of playing the first leg at home while going away for the second. The Finnish club will know exactly what is needed to progress in match No. 2, which could be an advantage.
Despite the fixture being tricky for Copenhagen, the Danes will come through the first leg with a win and set themselves up for progression.