Copenhagen welcome Torino to the Telia Parken on Thursday evening in what is the final Europa League group match before the knockout stages.
With Copenhagen unable to reach the knockout stages, there is little to gain for the Danish side, but the match should be an extra incentive for them to exit the Europa League with some dignity. They sit bottom of the group with four points, and have no mathematical possibility of progressing, with Torino sitting second on eight points.
For the Italians this match is critical, as Torino are capable of finishing anywhere between first and third depending on results.
They sit one point behind leaders Club Brugge, but if the Granata lose and HJK Helsinki defeats Club Brugge in the other group match, they could see themselves in third place and out of the knockout stages.
Torino still have Marcelo Larrondo, Migjen Basha, Salvatore Masiello, Antonio Nocerino and Marco Benassi all sidelined through injury, but they should still have a relatively strong squad to pick from in Denmark.
Expect them to line-up in their customary 3-4-1-2 formation, which has not quite clicked into gear this season in the Serie A, but has done ok in Europe.
Domestically, Torino languish in 17th place in the table and have yet to replicate any of the form they displayed last season.
Meanwhile, Copenhagen are the exact opposite when it comes to domestic form, riding high in the Danish Superligaen in second place.
With a domestic lay-off now until the February 22,2015, this will be Copenhagen’s last match in a couple of months, and so they will be eager to reward their home fans with a good result.
They are expected to line-up in a 4-3-3 formation with an emphasis on strong wing play and quick transition from attack to defence.
These two sides last met on the second match-day of the Europa League, which ended in a 1-0 win for the Italians in Turin. Fabio Quagliarella scored a late penalty in the 94th minute handing Torino a hard-fought victory.
Expected Starting XIs
Copenhagen: Andersen, Bengtsson, Zanka, Antonsson, Hogli, Delaney, Gislason, Claudemir, Jorgensen, Amankwaa, Cornelius
Torino: Gillet, Maksimovic, Glik, Moretti, Peres, Vives, Farnerud, Darmian, El Kaddouri, Quagliarella, Martinez
