Cup Football Returns, as AB Faces Sønderjyske

AB Gladsaxe host Superliga side Sønderjyske Fodbold on Wednesday evening at 18:00 in the Betano Cup at Gladsaxe Stadion. Referee Jakob Sundberg will get the cup tie underway at 18:00, with Deniz Yurdakul and Jonathan Nilton serving as assistant referees.

It has been 18 years since the two sides last met in a league match. In April 2008, AB lost 1-0 away in Haderslev. The two teams have also met in the Danish Cup, with that meeting coming in 2006, when AB lost 2-0 at Gladsaxe Stadion.

Both teams are currently struggling in their respective league campaigns. Sønderjyske sit bottom of the 3F Superliga with two points and played to a 1-1 draw away at Lyngby on Sunday. AB have lost their last three matches in the Betinia Liga. It will therefore be interesting to see how the two teams approach Wednesday’s match and how much emphasis they will place on the cup competition.

This will be Sønderjyske’s first cup match of the season, as the remaining Superliga teams enter the competition at this stage. For AB, it will be their third cup match after victories over Holbæk and Brønshøj.

Adrien Koudelka says cup matches are always something special: “Cup matches are exciting because we now have the chance to play against teams from a stronger division. Cup matches are always something special. We’re looking forward to it, and we hope we can compete. There’s definitely an opportunity to have a good game, and I hope we can create chances and score. Of course, there’s pressure on them — they’re expected to win — but we want to compete with them. So we’re going to give it everything and be a good opponent.

“They’re a very physical team. They have several tall players and play with a lot of intensity. So it will be a very physical match, but we definitely have players who can match that. Of course, it will be difficult, but we believe in our quality. It will probably be an exciting game to play, as both teams are looking for some success after their recent league results. But it’s our home ground — so it’s going to be class!”

Head coach Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson is hoping for an entertaining match: “It’s always fun to play cup matches — it’s win or go home. At this stage of the competition, it’s a single match, and it doesn’t matter whether you win 2-1 or 1-0. The result determines which team advances in the cup and which team’s run comes to an end.

It’s going to be a great day, the players are looking forward to the match, and I think it will be an entertaining football game. Sønderjyske are a good football team. They’re struggling a little with their results at the moment, but they had a positive game against Lyngby at the weekend.

Tomorrow, we’ll be positive — we need to be AB when AB are at their best. If we’re not there on the day, we won’t advance. So everyone needs to be on their toes, enjoy it and take pride in fighting for each other.”