With FC Copenhagen going through the biggest crisis in club history and Bodo/Glimt having crashed out of the Champions League dramatically, it's up to FC Midtjylland to defend the Scandinavian colours in the Europa League, where they so far have been one of the revelations of the tournament.
Having scored 106 goals in all competitions in 43 games, averaging 2,46 goals per game, FC Midtjylland is the team with the most wins this season in the European club competitions, with no less than 12 victories recorded. Hardly anyone could have predicted this level of success when the club, located in the wilderness of the “Jutland Heath”, one hour from Aarhus, was founded in 1999 through a merger between Ikast and Herning Fremad.
But using deeper metrics to improve recruitment and evaluation of player performance, in addition to hiring dedicated ball-striking and throw-in coaches and establishing the first academy in Scandinavia, has elevated the club to a position where they now seem to have a realistic chance of potentially lifting the Europa League trophy at the Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul on 20 May.
The success that FC Midtjylland have been enjoying this spring is all the more impressive, judging from the fact that they have been without the services of their arguably biggest star, the 21-year Guines Bissau striker Franculio Dju, since December, when he was injured in a clash against local rivals Viborg. Before that, he was the second-highest scorer across Europe, rattling the net with a goal every 99 minutes this season.
A product of Benfica’s academy, Franculino quietly left Lisbon three years ago, putting his faith in FC Midtjylland to further his development in Herning, where he found the perfect environment to thrive.
It did not take Midtjylland long to realise what they had on their hands as they wasted no time renewing and extending his contract until June 2029, with the knowledge that they were sitting on a rough diamond who had attracted attention from Premier League and Bundesliga clubs. Franculino is expected to leave "The Wolves" this summer for a fee around €40 million, which will make him the most expensive player ever to transfer out of Scandinavia.
Averaging a goal every 115 minutes across his first 103 matches for FC Midtjylland, Franculino is characterised as a "goal machine" with excellent positioning, electric acceleration, and a powerful left foot, often operating as a mobile striker in a dynamic 4-3-3 system which also thrives through the presence of Midtjylland's other two stars in the making, the 22-year old Chilean winger Dario Osorio and Turkish international playmaker Aral Simsir.
With speed becoming increasingly vital in modern football, FC Midtjylland are well equipped to break down determined defences with Osorio having recorded the fastest top speed in the Danish Superliga this season at 36.8 km/h. This will be bad news for Nottingham Forest as they make their way towards Herning on Thursday night, trying to overturn their 0-1 deficit from their first leg against the Danes in the 1/8 finals of the Europa League. Osorio was suspended in the first leg but will be available for the return leg in Denmark.
Recognised for his amazing dribbling skills skill, explosive pace, and ability to cut inside from the right onto his left foot, Osorio is often used on the right wing where he acts as an inverted playmaker who can thrive in possession or on the counter, often dropping into pockets of space where he can unleash his fierce left-footed drive which has seen him score 21 goals in 99 matches for Mike Tullberg's outfit.
Having joined "The Wolves" three years ago, Osorio in record-time established himself as a household name in the Danish domestic league and is likely to become the next youngster to use FC Midtjylland as the perfect launching pad for a potential career in the Premier League or Bundesliga with Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund having shown a key interest in the talented winger.
The awesome trio is completed by Aral Simsir, who has scored 24 goals and 34 assists in 125 games for FC Midtjylland. As Denmark prepares for the all-important World Cup qualifying play-off matches at the end of March, Danish international coach Brian Riemer is very likely to lament the fact that Simsir, despite being born and raised in Denmark to Turkish parents and representing Danish youth teams four years ago, decided to line up for Turkey, where he has reached four caps so far.
Known for his dribbling ability, technical ability in tight spaces, and his ability to score and assist from wide areas, Simsir has turned into a key contributor for FC Midtjylland as he closes in on the all-time assist record in the Danish domestic league, with Simsir currently on 13 and the record standing at 15.
Back in 2021, FC Midtjylland set the goal of breaking into Europe’s top 50 clubs, when the team was ranked 112th in UEFA’s club rankings. This was among other things to be achieved through the use of deeper metrics, shrewd recruitment and the "deep pockets" of club owner Anders Holch Povlsen. The strategy has worked wonders with FC Midtjylland now closing in on the quarter-finals of the Europa League. And with a squad oozing quality across the field, "The Wolves" are confident they will be heading to Istanbul at the end of May.