Celtic’s next competitive opponents FC Midtjylland have got off to a rocky start in the Danish Superliga.
In a surprising result, OB beat Midtylland in the opening game of the Danish top-flight [WhoScored?]. Baskim Kadrii opened the scoring for OB after fifteen minutes. Danger man Pione Sisto, who rejoined the club last year [Mundo Deportivo], levelled the scoring near the hour mark.
Jorgen Skjelvik, however, scored a winner for OB in dying moments to put immediate pressure on boss Bo Henriksen.
In this, the Danish Superliga’s opening fixture, it’s a shock result for the mid-Jutlanders. OB finished 8th in last season’s Danish top-flight, with a negative goal difference.
The Danes have endured a patchy summer. New boss Bo Henriksen has overseen a loss to Lech Poznan and a narrow win over Sigma Olomouc, before a quick start to league action.
Interestingly, Midtjylland hired Henriksen from relegated side AC Horsens. Certainly, a loss constitutes a shock result for his new side, who finished second in the Superliga last season.
The side have strengthened in key areas, however. Two Brazilian signings, Charles and Juninho, arrived from Ceará and Palmeiras respectively [Transfermarkt]. Danish right-back Henrik Dalsgaard has also joined, from Brentford.
This certainly won’t be the result they’d have hoped for ahead of a crucial meeting with Celtic in Champions League qualifying on Tuesday night.
FC Midtjylland: a wounded animal? Or should Celtic still be wary?
With both sides going through significant overhauls this summer, Celtic v FC Midtjylland might not be the prettiest watch initially, as the teams figure each other out.
The Bhoys will have fans on their side, however. Granted, 9,000 is far from the total that supporters would’ve hoped for. The club, for its part, stated [Celtic FC]:
“Clearly, we have worked tirelessly in this area, we had pushed for many more fans to be given access and of course we are disappointed that more supporters will not be able to attend.”
It’s something, though. With Scotland in Level 0 of Coronavirus restrictions by kick-off, the Champions League returns to Celtic Park at long last, and with fans in attendance. This wasn’t the case last season, when Ferencvaros put the Bhoys to the sword in a one-leg qualifying tie.
Fans or no fans, though, Celtic have to be wary. Midtjylland got through to the Champions League proper last season. In the process, they earned a creditable draw against Liverpool [BBC]. They didn’t make it past the group stage, though.
An experienced, hard-working side undergoing some significant surgery under a new boss, Midtjylland are a very interesting prospect, and it remains a difficult tie for Celtic to navigate.
Results like boost the confidence a little, however.
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