Former Aberdeen defender Scott McKenna admits his dream of playing in the Champions League seemed “far away” when he was at Pittodrie.
However, the Aberdeen Youth Academy graduate is set to go up against Champions League holders Manchester City in the last-16 tomorrow.
On loan at FC Copenhagen, McKenna will be tasked with trying to stop goal-machine Erling Haaland’s red-hot scoring form.
Haaland has netted six goals in Manchester City’s previous two games to take his tally to 28 for the season in all competitions.
Last season Haaland hit an astonishing 52 goals to fire City to the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup treble.
Danish Superliga side Copenhagen trail the cup holders 3-1 from the first leg.
McKenna, on loan from Premier League Nottingham Forest, accepts the Danish club face an uphill battle at the Etihad Stadium.
But he refuses to give up hope of overturning the odds to shock the holders.
He said: “The Champions League and Premier League seemed so far away when I was at Aberdeen.
“You’re playing away trying to get a next step and at that time it doesn’t feel like it is something that is achievable any time soon.
“It worked out well for me as I had the opportunity to go to Forest.
“In the second season, we managed to win the play-offs.
“And that gave me the opportunity to play in the Premier League.”
‘We have to go there with belief’
McKenna played the entire first leg against Manchester City – where a goal from Phil Foden two minutes into stoppage time made it 3-1.
Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva netted the other goals for the holders.
FC Copenhagen progressed to the knock-out phase by finishing second in a group behind German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
The Danish club finished ahead of Turkish side Galatasaray and three-time European champions Manchester United.
McKenna said: “It’s going to be very difficult against Manchester City.
“At 3-1 down going to the Etihad, you need to score the first goal and see what happens.
“If you do that and hang in the game for long enough, you never know.
“But Manchester City are obviously a world class team, so it will be a massive uphill challenge.
“We have to go there with a belief that we can stay in the game, maybe nick a goal and see what happens.
“Most of the lads here have played against Manchester City more than me.
“I only played against them once with Forest.
“They played Manchester City in the Champions League last season (group stages) so have just as much experience as me.
“They have been exposed to a lot of big teams in the Champions League and have had some brilliant results.
“They are all very experienced players.”
‘An opportunity I couldn’t turn down’
McKenna was transferred to Nottingham Forest in a £3 million deal from Aberdeen in 2020.
Aberdeen have subsequently banked a further £1.75 in add-ons from the McKenna deal.
They landed £1m when the defender earned promotion to the English top-flight in 2022 by winning the play-off final.
The Dons secured another £750,000 bonus when Forest confirmed their top-flight status at the end of last season.
A first-team regular over three seasons, McKenna had struggled to get first-team action at Forest this term.
He said: “The opportunity just to get out and play football at Copenhagen would have been good enough – never mind the opportunity to play in the Champions League.
“Obviously playing in the Premier League was a dream, but to get the opportunity to play in the Champions League is great.
“The lads did fantastic to get out of a group that included Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Galatasaray
“To get the opportunity to play Manchester City in the last 16 is something I couldn’t turn down.”
Bidding for Danish league title glory
On loan until the end of the season, McKenna is gunning for league title glory.
FC Copenhagen are currently third in the Danish Superliga, just three points behind leaders FC Midtjylland after 20 games.
He is relishing the pressure of a title fight and is determined to grab the opportunity.
McKenna said: “It is club that demands success and it is great to have that kind of pressure.
“That is a bit different to the pressure we have been in at Forest when you are in the bottom half and trying to survive in games.
“Obviously it is not the same, the Premier League and the Danish Superliga.
“But in terms of that demand to dominate games and play on the front foot, it is something I’m really enjoying.
“The goal is to win the championship.
“These sort of opportunities don’t come around all the time for footballers.
“It’s important when it does you try to grasp them with both hands.
“At Aberdeen, the opportunity to win a title was always going to be very, very difficult with Celtic and Rangers in the league.
“Over the course of a season, they are going to dominate and pick up more points than anyone else.
“To be that team that does have an opportunity and the club and the fans expect to be winning titles is great.
“I thrive under that pressure, 100 percent.
“There’s a winning mentality throughout this whole club.
“There’s never any chat about a draw being a good result or anything like that.
“I think a loss would be the end of the world here to be honest.
“In every game, anything other than winning won’t be accepted.”
Conversation