FC Copenhagen coach Jacob Neestrup said that he was not happy with the pitch when he spoke to the media ahead of the Champions League clash against Qarabag in Azerbaijan Wednesday night.
The pitch's poor condition may well become a decisive factor when FC Copenhagen visit Qarabag FK in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
During Tuesday's training, the FC Copenhagen players saw that the pitch in Baku is not in the best condition, and this was also a theme at the subsequent press conference.
According to head coach Jacob Neestrup, the pitch looks difficult.
"It is equal for both teams, so it will of course be an important parameter in the match, in relation to which team uses the pitch best and adapts to the holes that are literally there when the ball starts rolling", said Jacob Neestrup to Bold.dk
"There is a bit of everything, shouldn't we just say it like that?" added Neestrup when he was directly asked if there are holes in the pitch.
Regardless, it must not be an excuse, emphasizes the Danish coach, who is determined to return to Denmark with points in the bag.
"It is difficult to assess the strength ratio between us and Qarabag, but I would say 50/50 when we now play away from home."
"In any case, we have come here to win, and we must take home at least one point, said Jacob Neestrup to FC Copenhagen website.
While the visitors drew 2-2 at home against Bayer Leverkusen in the first round of the Champions League, Qarabag produced an upset by beating Benfica 3-2 away after trailing 2-0.
Neestrup also expresses great respect for the Azerbaijan outfit.
"They have many great attacking-minded players, and they are dangerous on the counter, and you can see that it is a team that is used to playing in Europe", Neestrup pointed out.
"Although they have not been in the Champions League in recent years, they have played regularly, especially in the Europa League. So it's a team you have to take seriously, and we always do that when we have to play these games."
The game kicks off at 18.45 CET on Wednesday evening.