Raków vs Copenhagen facts

Debutants Polish side Raków Częstochowa are aiming to take another significant step forward as they welcome group stage regulars Copenhagen for the first leg of their play-off with a place in the UEFA Champions League proper on the line.

While this is Raków's first European Cup campaign – and only their third season in UEFA competition – Copenhagen are seasoned contenders, making their fifth group appearance in 2022/23.

This is the clubs' first meeting, and also Raków's first game against a team from Denmark.

Raków and Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa are the only sides still involved whose 2023/24 campaigns started in the first qualifying round.

Form guide

Raków

Polish champions for the first time in 2022/23, Dawid Szwarga's side are taking part in their first Champions League campaign.

The Częstochowa club have won five of their six fixtures in this season's qualifying competition, beating Estonia's Flora 4-0 on aggregate in the first qualifying round (1-0 h, 3-0 a) before edging out Qarabağ of Azerbaijan in the next stage (3-2 h, 1-1 a) and Cypriot club Aris Limassol in the third qualifying round (2-1 h, 1-0 a).

Raków are only the third Polish club to take part in the Champions League play-offs, after Legia Warszawa and Wisła Kraków, and the first since Legia in 2016/17. Legia's 3-1 aggregate victory against Dundalk in that campaign is Poland's only success at this stage.

Legia's participation in the 2016/17 group stage is Poland's most recent appearance in the Champions League proper; they also featured in 1995/96, with Widzew Łódź appearing in 1996/97.

The Medaliki's two previous European campaigns have both ended in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs, at the hands of Gent in 2021/22 (1-3 aggregate) and Slavia Praha (2-3 agg).

The away defeats against Gent (0-3) and Slavia (0-2 aet) are Raków's only European losses. They have won 12 of their 18 games.

Raków's home European record is W7 D2, those seven victories coming in their last seven games.

Raków finished nine points clear of runners-up Legia in the 2022/23 Ekstraklasa and reached a third successive Polish Cup final, losing 6-5 on penalties to Legia having lifted the trophy in 2021 and 2022.

Copenhagen

Copenhagen are aiming to reach the group stage for the sixth time, having made their first appearance since 2016/17 last season. No other Danish side has featured more than twice.

The Danish side finished fourth in their section for the third time in their five group campaigns in 2022/23, failing to win a game in Group G. They did, however, draw all three home matches – 0-0 against both Sevilla and Manchester City and 1-1 against Borussia Dortmund – losing all three away including a 5-0 reverse at eventual champions City that equalled their biggest European defeat.

Four of Copenhagen's five campaigns in the Champions League proper have ended in the group stage, the exception 2010/11 when they lost to Chelsea in the round of 16 (0-2 h, 0-0 a).

Copenhagen's record in Champions League play-offs is W3 L5, the most recent tie ending in a 2-1 aggregate victory against Trabzonspor last season (2-1 h, 0-0 a). They have suffered ten eliminations in their 14 previous Champions League qualification campaigns.

Copenhagen claimed their record-equalling 15th Danish league title, all since 1993, and their fifth in eight seasons in 2022/23. They also lifted the Danish Cup to win a sixth domestic double.

The Danish side eased past Breidablik of Iceland in their first European tie this season in the second qualifying round (2-0 a, 6-3 h), but had to come through a tight third qualifying round contest against Sparta Praha. The first leg at Parken finished scoreless before a 3-3 draw in Prague in which both teams scored twice in extra time, Copenhagen eventually prevailing 4-2 on penalties.

The wins against Breidablik are Copenhagen's only victories in their last 11 European games (D6 L3), the 2-0 first-leg success their only away win in seven matches (D3 L3).

The most recent of Copenhagen's three games against Polish clubs came in September 2020, when they were 3-0 winners at home to Piast Gliwice in their one-off Europa League third qualifying round fixture.

Copenhagen lost 4-1 on aggregate to Polonia Warszawa in the second round of the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup, most of the damage done with a 3-0 home first-leg loss in Gentofte.

Links and trivia

Copenhagen goalkeeper Kamil Grabara made his international debut for Poland in a 2-1 UEFA Nations League win against Wales on 1 June 2022.

Grabara has never played top-flight football in Poland; he came through the youth ranks at Ruch Chorzów before joining Liverpool aged 16 in January 2016.

Copenhagen midfielder Viktor Claesson scored a 94th-minute winner as Sweden beat Poland 3-2 on Matchday 3 of UEFA EURO 2020 to claim first place in Group E.

Copenhagen forward Jordan Larsson and Raków midfielder Gustav Berggren have represented Sweden together once, a 1-0 friendly win against Moldova on 9 January 2020.