Opinion: United must solve Parken problem

Neestrup, buoyed by his team's performance at Old Trafford, decided to crank up the pressure ahead of our UEFA Champions League tie, describing their Parken Stadium as 100 times more intense than the Reds' home at M16.

Such words should only serve to fire Erik ten Hag's men up more for another critical Group A game but one thing is for certain - I wouldn't put any money on the Copenhagen captain swapping shirts with any of our players at half-time.

The Danish champions mean business and will sense they can repeat their famous win just over 17 years ago, when Marcus Allback scored the only goal to defeat a side containing the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Indeed, their players from that occasion are set to be introduced to the crowd in the 20:00 GMT kick-off, in order to add to the sense of history and destiny.

Belief can go a long way in football and there is evidence to back up Neestrup's confidence. Sometimes, there can be an expectation that United will just go out and get the job done at destinations like this, maybe that is how sections of the media feel and there will be hell to pay if that is not the case.

Yet Copenhagen have shown their quality in the competition already this term. Not only were they an Andre Onana penalty save away from snatching a point from the game at Old Trafford but their performances have generated plenty of credit and praise.

Galatasaray's Rams Park is an intimidating arena, as United will discover later this month, but Neestrup's men were 2-0 up there in their group opener, with only four minutes of regulation time remaining. A late double, when the visitors were down to 10 men, earned the Turkish team a draw but it proved the third seeds demanded respect and would be highly competitive.  

Early last month, FCK took the lead against leaders Bayern Munich in the 56th minute, sending their home fans into delirium.

Lukas Lerager's goal was eventually overturned by the Bundesliga giants to extend their amazing record in the group stage of the Champions League, with Mathys Tel's winner coming only three minutes from time.

However, it was a rare home reverse in Europe for Copenhagen, and it came against one of the top clubs on the continent. 

Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla could only manage draws at Parken in 2022. Going further back, Leicester City's Champions League visit in 2016 ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

United need the three points ahead of the trip to Turkey and home game with Bayern but we are yet to find our best form in 2023/24, something that has generated so much media attention.

So you can understand the heat being turned up ahead of the Scandinavian showdown. Questions will be asked of the Reds that will need answering. The atmosphere is bound to be intense but this is what the Champions League is all about.

These are challenges that must be met and Ten Hag's team will be fully aware of that, with no reminders from Neestrup or anybody of a FCK persuasion required.

The support may well be partisan in Parken but the away fans are certain to make themselves heard too, showing their class and backing for the side during the win at Fulham last weekend. There was a real sense the Danes were all united at Old Trafford, witnessing the Under-19s arriving into the away end to rapturous applause before the youngsters joined in with the chanting, as the players saluted them from the pitch before kick-off.

We have to be the same. The test posed requires Erik's Reds being on their mettle - this is another chance to show our character.

The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.