RANGERS are in friendly action against FC Copenhagen at Ibrox tomorrow night with tickets remaining for the clash - here you can find out more about them in our Opposition Focus.
Formed: 1 July 1992
Nickname: Byens Hold (The Team of the City) or The Lions
Stadium: Parken Stadium
Stadium Capacity: 38,065
Head Coach: Jacob Neestrup
2022/23 League Position: 1st in the Danish Superliga
Major Honours: 15x Danish Superliga , 9x Danish Cup and 1x Danish League Cup
Head Coach
A number of serious injuries and a car accident restricted Jacob Neestrupto a limited number of appearances during his professional playing career.
The former Denmark Under-20 midfielder played two Danish Superliga matches for FC Copenhagen between 2007 and 2009 before hanging up his boots in 2011.
He has held a variety of roles at his former club, including two spells as the Lions’ assistant head coach.
Taking the top job at the Parken Stadium in 2022, Neestrup guided Copenhagen to the Danish Superliga and Cup ‘double’ in his debut season at the helm.
New Face
Signed from Viborg FF for a reported fee of €3million last July, forward Elias Achouri has made a good start to his Copenhagen career with four goals in 24 appearances in all competitions in the first half of the 2023/24 season.
He netted on his home debut as the Lions beat Icelandic side Breidablik 6-3 in a UEFA Champions League qualifying fixture on 2 August 2023.
Superliga strikes followed, in victories over OB Odense (11 August 2023) and Vejle BK (21 October 2023), and in a 2-1 home defeat to Aarhus on 3 December 2023.
Born in Saint-Denis, France on 10 February 1999, Achouri has won six senior caps for Tunisia to date – the country of his father’s origin.
Between The Sticks
In 2016, Kamil Grabara became the first Polish goalkeeper to sign for Liverpool since 2005 UEFA Champions League final hero Jerzy Dudek joined the Reds back in 2001.
Grabara failed to make a senior, competitive appearance during his time at Anfield but did enjoy a productive loan spell at Huddersfield Town in 2019/20.
The stopper was also twice loaned to AGF whilst under contract with Liverpool and he returned to Denmark in 2021 to join Copenhagen.
Having made over 100 appearances for the Lions since, Grabara’s impressive displays prompted Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg to make a €13.5million offer to sign him last summer.
The deal will go through in the summer of 2024, although the German side also have the option to complete the deal this month if required.
One To Watch
Born in Kuwait to a Syrian family on 15 November 2005, Roony Bardghji moved to Sweden at a young age.
The 18-year-old has already scored twice in eight appearances for Sweden Under-21s and has made over 60 senior competitive appearances for Copenhagen. The winger joined the Lions from Malmo FF in 2021 and scored twice in 15 appearances in all competitions in 2021/22.
He netted three times in 27 matches last season and has scored 10 times in 27 games this season so far. Reportedly a transfer target for some of the biggest clubs around Europe currently, Bardghji bagged Copenhagen’s winner in a 4-3 UEFA Champions League triumph over Manchester United on 8 November 2023.
Rising Star
Twin brother of Copenhagen teammate Emil Hojlund and the younger brother of Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund, Oscar Hojlund joined the Lions back in 2018 as a 13-year-old.
He made his competitive debut for the club against Lyngby on 22 July 2023 – the first of his 12 Lions appearances to date. Described by Copenhagen's development director Sune Smith-Nielsen as an "energetic and dynamic central midfielder who can run from end to end", Hojlund made 14 appearances for Denmark Under-17s between 2021 and 2022 and won 10 caps for the Under-18s between 2022 and 2023.
Read more about FC Copenhagen in our official matchday programme for the game, available outside the stadium at our usual vendor spots, as well as inside the stadium at the kiosks and within Edmiston House in the fanzone at the bar, and at the Museum Shop.