Max Kelly
Travel Editor
Scott Booth’s side look to make history against the Danish champions.
Glasgow City FC face reigning Danish champions Brøndby IF in the last 16 of the 2019-20 Women’s Champions League this evening. They come into the tie in good form, after head coach Scott Booth described his side as “different class” following a 4-1 aggregate victory over Chertanovo Moscow in the previous round of the competition. Booth’s side took a one goal lead into the second leg after an impressive 1-0 victory in Moscow. Despite an early setback when Kristina Kommissarova scored inside three minutes, goals from Claire Shine and Rachel McLauchan as well as a brace from Hayley Lauder saw City comfortably through. Booth said of the performance: “I think for 88 minutes we were fantastic, but it was just that first two minutes we got caught and that’s the danger.” City currently have a 100% record in the Premier League this season win 16 wins out of 16 – and currently sit eight points clear of their nearest challengers, Hibernian.
It is the second year in a row that the side have qualified for the last 16 of the illustrious competition. This time, City will be looking to go one better and right the wrongs of an 8-0 aggregate defeat to current Spanish leaders Barcelona. The club has reached the quarter-finals once before in 2015 but succumbed to 7-0 defeat to the French giants and eventual runners-up Paris Saint-Germain. City are the sole Scottish team in the latter stages of the tournament after Hibernian were harrowed 9-2 by Slavia Prague.
Booth’s side face a stern challenge in the Danish champions Brøndby. The Danes are coming off the back-to-back 7-2 domestic wins and only lost once in 24 league games last season. They saw off the 2018 Swedish champions Pitea IF after an 2-1 aggregate win, and have just a solitary defeat in their last twelve games in all competitions. It is the first time the Danish side have faced a Scottish team in Europe since 2003, when they beat Kilmarnock 2-0 in the Second Qualifying Round of the competition.
Following tonight’s match, the second leg of the tie will be played on 31st of October at Petershill Park in Springburn and with tickets from just £6.50 you can escape the trick-or-treaters and watched some top-level women’s football for great value. Glasgow City will be looking to take something into the second leg and avoid any Halloween howlers in the reverse leg.
Elsewhere, Brøndby’s compatriots (and the last side to beat them) Fortuna Hjorring face holders Lyon and, in the tie of the round, Manchester City face Spanish champions Atletico Madrid.
