Search site (opens in an overlay)Tottenham Hotspur StadiumSearchClose search overlayArticles from Spurs #EuropaLeague #MatchTravel #Information #FKBodø/Glimt @SpursOfficial Supporters making the journey to Norway for our UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg against Bodø/Glimt should be aware of the following important information.. Kick-off at the Aspmyra Stadion is scheduled for 9pm local time Bodø is a small town located north of the Arctic Circle Temperatures are not expected to rise above 5°C throughout matchday and may fall below freezing during the game It is therefore advised that travelling fans consider weather conditions carefully when planning their trip We recommend fans familiarise themselves with the government’s travel advice for Norway. The local currency is the Norwegian Krone The Club’s Travel Line - 07917 880445 - will be available throughout the day and evening of the match for any supporters experiencing problems Supporters should note that passports must have been issued less than 10 years before the date of entry into Norway (check the ‘date of issue’) and be valid for at least three months after the day of departure (check the ‘expiry date’) The Aspmyra Stadion is located centrally within Bodø and is a 10-15 minute walk away from the airport and most hotels Supporters are advised to avoid Landlov in Sjøgata on matchday as this is where the active home supporters gather before the game The designated away supporters’ pub where fans are welcome to gather pre-match is the Hundholmen Brygghus Local police have advised that away supporters walking to the stadium from the Hundholmen Brygghus and from the city centre use the street of Torvgata which will be controlled and staffed allowing away fans the simplest entry process with the journey to the stadium from the away supporters’ pub taking five minutes Fans may also choose to make use of the local public transport system Journey times on buses will take up to 10 minutes from most hotels and venues in the area Spurs fans will be located within section C of the Havet-Tribunen Supporters should note that this stand is completely uncovered and therefore exposed to the weather Please note that the front two rows will be reserved for ambulant disabled supporters and those unable to stand for long periods of time The stadium will be open at 7.30pm local time Supporters will receive their PDF tickets ahead of the game which can be scanned at the turnstile using a mobile device - you will not need to print the tickets Supporters are advised to use a mobile device to scan your ticket as paper tickets can get damp and are difficult to scan in poor weather conditions There are two turnstiles at the visitors’ entrance We kindly ask supporters for their patience when entering the stadium and the seating area as there may be queues during busier periods A three-step entry process will be in place meaning fans will have their tickets initially checked and will be searched before being able to enter fans should not cover their face during the entry process Tottenham Hotspur stewards and staff will be present at the entrance and inside the stadium Fans with Category 1 tickets will be seated in section F of the LNS-Tribunen and must enter the stadium via the turnstiles located at the entrance to sections E or F these tickets are located in the home section of the stadium Supporters should not wear Tottenham Hotspur colours when sitting in the Category 1 area Access fans have been contacted directly by the Club in regard to arrangements for this fixture The recommended route to the stadium for access supporters is also via the street of Torvgata wheelchair users will be directed to the away supporter wheelchair platform Seats for ambulant supporters are located in the front rows of the visitors’ section Those seated within this section are advised that these seats are accessed by a small number of steps Please note that there is no dedicated accessible toilet no Changing Places facility or Audio Descriptive Commentary service alcohol will not be available to be purchased before Smoking is not permitted inside the stadium power banks and vapes will be permitted - they must be light weight and no larger than a phone Vaping is not permitted inside the stadium Umbrellas will not be permitted inside the stadium Supporters are asked to submit an image of their flag along with its dimensions to supporterservices@tottenhamhotspur.com by 12pm on Tuesday 6 May All flags must have a fire safety certificate flags with religious / sectarian / political / inflammatory or offensive messages will not be permitted and may be confiscated Supporters are also reminded of the Club’s own Flags and Banners Policy which is in effect at away matches Bags larger than A4 in size will not be permitted into the ground Supporters are advised not to bring larger bags due to there being no storage facility at the stadium Any supporters requiring a medical exemption to the bag policy are advised to contact the Club in advance of travel at access@tottenhamhotspur.com Supporters are advised that concourse facilities are limited in the visitors’ section so there may be queues for toilets and food and drink at peak periods Supporters will be held back for up to 30 minutes after the final whistle for safety reasons Access to toilets be available during this time Supporters are politely asked to remain patient until permitted to leave Bodø/Glimt does not advertise a list of prohibited items, however, supporters should note the rules on powerbanks, vapes and umbrellas. Supporters are advised to only bring essentially items with them to the stadium on matchday. Should you have any queries about bringing an item to the stadium please contact us in advance at supporterservices@tottenhamhotspur.com We are proud of our superb and loyal support at home and away We all have a responsibility to act as ambassadors of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and act as considerate visitors to those who live and work in the cities and countries we visit Please respect local customs and traditions by not placing flags or banners on local statues or monuments We recognise that most supporters want to watch a football match and not to listen to abusive or indecent language from the stands Discriminatory behaviour which includes shouting sexist or anti-disability behaviour is unacceptable The Club reserves the right to indefinitely ban supporters found guilty of using discriminatory language Supporters are reminded that the unauthorised reselling or passing on of tickets is strictly prohibited. In line with the Club's Sanctions & Banning Policy, supporters selling away match tickets above face value will receive an indefinite ban and deduction of all Ticketing Points. Supporters passing on away match tickets equal to face value or less will receive a written warning and a 50% reduction of Ticketing Points. 'Spurs are afraid and they should be' Bodo fans confident in the Arctic 230 CommentsSuch is the disparity between Bodo/Glimt and Tottenham that the entire 55,000 population of the Norwegian team's town could fit inside the Premier League side's stadium But the two sides meet as equals on Thursday looking to take a closer step towards the Europa League final With supporters famed for carrying giant yellow toothbrushes to games Bodo/Glimt have swept aside bigger teams throughout Europe to join Spurs Manchester United and Athletic Club in the last four They are the first Norwegian side to reach a men's semi-final in a European competition while they have won eight of their past 10 two-legged ties It is an impressive achievement for a team who were just happy to be out of the Norwegian second division And Bodo/Glimt will back themselves to continue making more history given their record as giant-killers coupled with having a manager who has got the better of Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou before Bodo is a fishing town located north of the Arctic Circle Of the four teams left in the Europa League's last four their remote location has arguably helped forge a community bond between the residents The team's players can often be seen out for walks with their family or eating in the local restaurants "It is like they are a big family," Chris Shaul who has followed the team since moving from England to Bodo about eight years ago A lot of the players have grown up here and they go and socialise together." a strong bond between the team and their fans can go a long way to producing results on the pitch - and Bodo/Glimt have certainly done that in recent years Jose Mourinho will no doubt still have nightmares of the time Bodo/Glimt handed him the joint-biggest defeat of his distinguished managerial career when his Roma side lost 6-1 in Norway four years ago in a Europa Conference League tie It was the first time a Mourinho side had conceded six or more goals in a single game - in what was the 1,008th match of his coaching career - and matched a 5-0 loss to Barcelona while in charge of Real Madrid Bodo/Glimt have produced some eye-catching results Olympiakos and Lazio on their way to the semi-finals Bodo/Glimt chiefs calm on Knutsen future amid Leeds links Having not been allowed to gain promotion to Norway's top division until 1972 alongside other northern-based teams due to existing rules But their story really gathered pace 15 years ago when the club almost went bankrupt "Economically we were a mess for years before this success," recalled Thomas Solberg We were then an up-and-down club between the second division and the top flight but in 2017 we hired our current manager." a Bergen-born coach who had enjoyed modest success previously with smaller clubs in Norway He initially arrived as assistant to Aasmund Bjorkan Initially it did not look like being a successful appointment "They were thinking about sacking Knutsen but they didn't have the money to do it," Norway international and former Blackburn Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen told BBC Sport "So they stuck with him instead and they started liking his ideas things started to roll and they got results." Kjetil Knutsen has been manager of Bodo/Glimt since 2018 Knutsen's ideas involved creating an identity-based intense possession-based game with purpose "Dominating doesn't just mean scoring but also having the possession of the ball and dictating the rules of the game," said the 56-year-old previously "We want to create a team identity that encompasses everyone; players We must confront ourselves to be able to create this 'Bodo model'." Part of that 'Bodo model' was to also change the mentality of the players They had been used to being a team that would bounce around the top two divisions without enjoying any real success he became a performance and mentality coach Mannsverk had been a Royal Norwegian Air Force squadron leader with deployments to Afghanistan and Libya meaning he had plenty of experience of developing mental resilience who has been a part of Bodo/Glimt's transformation since the beginning used to suffer stomach problems and considered retiring while vice-captain Patrick Berg was ready to leave a club his grandfather Both found their mentality transformed by working with Mannsverk who previously described their style of play as "kamikaze" said: "I don't think it would be possible to play like that without Bjorn and the mental work we do." Rather than trudging off individually after conceding goals like before Bodo/Glimt's players would gather in a huddle It was what Mannsverk called the "Bodo/Glimt Ring" to discuss what happened and maintain their composure and togetherness This was a banner displayed at Celtic before they were stunned by Bodo/Glimt in 2022 With Mannsverk's work on mentality and Knutsen's coaching methods After narrowly avoiding relegation in 2018 they would go on to win their domestic league title in 2020 for the first time before triumphing again in three of the next four seasons Those championship successes also earned them a place in Europe where their hope was not to be just happy to be there In 2022 they took part in the Europa Conference League where they faced a Celtic side managed by current Spurs boss Postecoglou Not only did Bodo/Glimt shock the Scottish giants in their knockout round play-off tie winning the first leg 3-1 and the second 2-0 to reach the last 16 "Knutsen plays attacking football," added Pedersen "Knutsen demands a lot from the players "They are a very fit team and very well trained They know what they have to do and Tottenham are going to have a very hard game." Postecoglou said Spurs will not take them lightly "The are a good football team," said the Australian "It doesn't matter where you come from I come from the other side of the world where football is the fourth sport "You say they are a small club and we are big club We are two clubs in the semi-final of a European competition and they have earned the right to be there "They have done very well to get there and we are going to treat them with the respect they deserve." The pitch at Bodo/Glimt's 8,000 capacity Aspmyra Stadion can often be covered in snow before games Bodo/Glimt will be hoping to repeat history by condemning Postecoglou to another home defeat in Europe they will want to return to Norway still in the tie knowing they could use the conditions on home soil to their advantage Their northerly location means opposition teams can face wind and snow conditions as well as a talented "I don't think we are the most sexy team to meet," Bodo/Glimt defender Jostein Gundersen told BBC World Service "We don't have the biggest stadium it is cold and windy and we have the artificial grass "It is not a problem for us if it is a little snowy and cold but hopefully it can scare the opposition a bit." Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser View comments | 230Top storiesHis stats are better but will Yamal build legacy to rival Messi 'Calamity keeper' or 'human wall' - which Donnarumma will Arsenal face Premier League reaction & Champions League race latest as Forest draw at Palace The final series of Man Like Mobeen has arrived John Simm stars in the provocative 90s drama Warm-hearted comedy with Ben Miller and Sally Phillips Follow two ambitious river restoration projects Who has made Troy's Premier League team of the week Trailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China Alexander-Arnold leaves as modern Liverpool great - but fans will feel hurt Zhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights VideoZhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights 'Scheffler and DeChambeau wins further raise US PGA excitement levels' Match-fixing scandal to Crucible champion - fall and rise of Zhao 'We need to take a look at ourselves' - Arsenal stalling at wrong time Palmer's brilliance could be key moment in Chelsea's Champions League quest Europa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney VideoEuropa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney Ask Me Anything the new BBC Sport service designed to serve you Bayern's 'James Bond' - how Kane clinched his first trophy Nine bolters with a shot of making the Lions squad How 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool VideoHow 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool Still number one & 'sparring' with Draper - return of Sinner Saints 'punch' favourites Leinster in game for the ages VideoVardy the best £1m ever spent - Shearer Poppy's tears Elton John & Happy Gilmore - McIlroy on Jimmy Fallon show Two opposing views on football's transgender ban Copyright © 2025 BBC. 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Chief football news reporterPublished30 April 2025121 CommentsBodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen should be applauded "all the way to the airport" should he leave the over-achieving Norwegian club As they prepare to face Tottenham in the Europa League semi-final on Thursday Knutsen has been the subject of links to Leeds and Scottish giants Rangers Technical director Havard Sakariassen told BBC Sport he has grown used to 56-year-old Knutsen being touted as moving to some of Europe's more famous clubs during which time Bodo have won four Norwegian league titles and become the first team from Norway to reach a major European semi-final Sakariassen is relaxed about the speculation - and does not think Knutsen will leave so we have been on a long journey together trying to build Bodo/Glimt to what it is today," he said The first season he was here as head coach half of the Bodo/Glimt press wanted him fired halfway through the season We were 100% certain Kjetil was the right man – and he knew it He's probably had some really good offers along the way and should he for some reason decide to do something else I think we should applaud him to the airport and say thank you "But I'm not afraid of that at all I think that we will work here for more years to come – but who knows." Knutsen's name tends to come up each time a Premier League managerial vacancy arises and with teams across Europe operating on significantly higher budgets there is certain to be interest in their players too Skipper Patrick Berg – suspended for the first leg against Tottenham – left for French side Lens in 2021 and came back less than a year later Midfielder Hakon Evjen left the club in 2019 for spells in the Netherlands and Denmark but returned in 2024 But Sakariassen feels the club has a special attraction that means players are loathe to leave we are in a good contract situation with all our players "It was a big job over the last years to put ourselves in a situation where we are in control "That players or staff are attractive to other countries and clubs is only a positive thing It is not something to be afraid of because it means we are doing a good job and achieving success players enjoying playing here and being part of it It has to be a really cool club that comes for it to outrank Bodo/Glimt." View comments | 121Top storiesHis stats are better Tottenham and Chelsea's semi-final opponents?Image source Dominic Solanke and Cole Palmer could have big roles to play in European semi-finals Tottenham and Chelsea all moved a step closer to possible European glory by booking semi-final places on a dramatic night In the Europa League, Ruben Amorim's United staged a remarkable extra-time comeback as they scored three late goals to see off Lyon 5-4 at Old Trafford and 7-6 on aggregate. Tottenham dug deep for a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt to go through 2-1 on aggregate In the Conference League, Chelsea reached the semi-finals despite losing 2-1 at home to Legia Warsaw, after the Blues won the first leg 3-0 'Maddest' game I've played in - Man Utd's Maguire Rangers' Europa League run ends at hands of dominant Athletic Bilbao Bodo-Glimt seal Spurs meeting after historic shootout win The Europa League and Conference League semi-final first legs take place on 1 May with the second games taking place a week later Tottenham are up against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt as Ange Postecoglou looks to stay on course for a trophy in his second season at the club Manchester United will face Spanish side Athletic Bilbao who knocked out Rangers in the quarter-finals With their ground located around 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle Bodo/Glimt home games often take place in freezing conditions Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt are one of the most interesting sides left in European competition With their home games often taking place in freezing conditions north of the Arctic Circle facing them can prove a difficult proposition for unacclimatised opposition The Italians lost the first leg 2-0 in Norway and despite Lazio fighting back to win 3-1 when at home in the second leg Bodo/Glimt won the subsequent shootout to progress Lazio are not the first major team to find themselves upset by Bodo/Glimt who famously thrashed Jose Mourinho's Roma 6-1 in the Europa League group stage four years ago The Norwegians also achieved a Conference League knockout blow in 2022 against a Celtic side managed by current Tottenham boss Postecoglou Bodo is among the most northernmost cities in the world and very isolated from other parts of Norwegian society with the next nearest major city at least a nine-and-a-half-hour drive away Their fans are also famed for turning up with giant yellow toothbrushes for games The story goes, external that the tradition was started 50 years ago when a fan was trying to get a chant going and used a toothbrush as a way of 'conducting' the crowd The image caught on and now fans carrying giant yellow toothbrushes is the norm The club even have their own brand sold throughout Norway Athletic Bilbao knocked out Rangers in the quarter-finals Athletic are a club who traditionally only field players with a Basque background and as such they are built on emotion and identity Their home stadium of San Mames has been chosen to stage the Europa League final meaning players and fans can sense a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity yet the current squad appear to be carrying the pressure lightly Experienced coach Ernesto Valverde is a calming influence and has his side playing disciplined but exciting football In Spain's European Championship winner Nico Williams they also have a star man who will surely cause Manchester United problems in the semi-finals Athletic reached the final of the Europa League in 2012 when they were managed by Marcelo Bielsa On that occasion they lost 3-0 to Atletico Madrid The club's origins can be traced back to the late 1800s and the island of Djurgarden - which means 'animal island' and is located in the centre of Stockholm is located in the Johanneshov district of the city Djurgarden have won their domestic league 12 times but this is the farthest they have gone in a European competition While semi-final opponents Chelsea are nearing the end of their season Djurgarden's domestic campaign is only just beginning but they have not had the best of starts and have won just one of their first three games highly rated teenager Lucas Bergvall played for them Bergvall made a swift impression at the club with one of his early performances leading newspaper Aftonbladet to predict he would become "Djurgarden's biggest transfer ever" They beat Rapid Vienna 4-1 after extra time on Thursday for a 4-2 aggregate win to progress to the last four The Debrief: Maguire sends Man Utd through in Europa League classic More on this storyListen to the latest Football Daily podcast Top storiesHis stats are better SpursCraig Burley believes that Tottenham will have to "be sensible" when they face Bodø/Glimt in the second leg of their Europa League semifinal Tottenham Hotspur put aside their woeful domestic season with a 3-1 home victory against Norway's Bodo/Glimt leaving them within sight of the Europa League final on Thursday But Tottenham rarely make things easy for themselves and there was a late twist as captain Ulrik Saltnes's deflected effort gave Bodo/Glimt hope for next week's second leg which will take place inside the Arctic Circle "We are pleased and I think before the game if you had said we would have a two-goal cushion we would have been happy with that," Johnson said "We were frustrated to concede but they are a tough team and we are happy with the performance." Tottenham are on course for their worst Premier League season since 1993-94 with 19 defeats from 34 games leaving them in 16th place and manager Ange Postecoglou facing an uncertain future at the north London club The Australian former Celtic manager was widely-mocked when he claimed he always wins a trophy in his second season at a club but when his side cruised into a 3-0 lead in front of a buoyant crowd Saltnes's late reply flattened the mood in the stadium and injuries to Maddison and Solanke that forced them off were a worry but Tottenham are still in a strong position Tottenham got a dream start when Pedro Porro's cross was headed back across the area by Richarlison and Johnson was unmarked to nod his header past Nikita Haikin The hosts dominated and Porro was the architect again in the 34th minute with a long diagonal pass that Maddison controlled superbly before cutting back a shot that crept in the first Norwegian team to reach a European semifinal finally came alive just before halftime when Ole Blomberg volleyed narrowly over Their hopes of extending their adventure appeared to have receded when Solanke tucked away a rather harsh penalty given after a VAR review Saltnes's shot, which deflected off Rodrigo Bentancur to beat Guglielmo Vicario breathed new life into the semifinal though and Tottenham can expect a stern test of their resolve on Bodo's artificial pitch next Thursday Tottenham Hotspur put aside their woeful domestic season with a 3-1 home victory against Norway's Bodo/Glimt leaving them within sight of the Europa League final on Thursday \"We are pleased and I think before the game if you had said we would have a two-goal cushion we would have been happy with that,\" Johnson said \"We were frustrated to concede but they are a tough team and we are happy with the performance.\" Tottenham are on course for their worst Premier League season since 1993-94 with 19 defeats from 34 games leaving them in 16th place and manager Ange Postecoglou facing an uncertain future at the north London club The Australian former Celtic manager was widely-mocked when he claimed he always wins a trophy in his second season at a club Tottenham got a dream start when Pedro Porro's cross was headed back across the area by Richarlison and Johnson was unmarked to nod his header past Nikita Haikin Saltnes's shot, which deflected off Rodrigo Bentancur to beat Guglielmo Vicario A gritty and unexpected 1-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt guided Ange Postecoglou's side into the last four of the Europa League and they'll fancy themselves of reaching the showpiece event in Bilbao at the end of May A dramatic penalty shootout victory over Lazio in the last eight meant Kjetil Knutsen's Bodø/Glimt became the first team from Norway to reach the semifinals of any UEFA club competition. They've threatened a deep continental run in previous years, and a historic triumph over two legs against Premier League opposition will see them into the final where either Athletic Club or Manchester United await Thursday's visitors have enjoyed an unbeaten start to their domestic season although they are only four games into the Eliteserien campaign are thankfully right at the end of what's been a woeful season this competition could yet supply Postecoglou with salvation Here's Sports Illustrated's guide to a significant clash in north London This is the first competitive meeting between Tottenham and Bodø/Glimt Tottenham 1-2 Nottingham Forest - 21/04/25 Eintracht Frankfurt 0-1 Tottenham - 17/04/25 Tottenham 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt - 10/04/25 The Spurs captain could return from a foot injury on Thursday / IMAGO / Sports Press PhotoPostecoglou rested key starters at the weekend Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven all failing to make it off the bench Rodrigo Bentancur didn't even travel to Anfield All four will be in Thursday's starting XI which will be similar to the team which started in Frankfurt there could be a couple of switches out wide Wilson Odobert may well have played his way into contention while captain Son Heung-min is hopeful of returning from a foot injury Mathys Tel will drop out of the manager's XI Radu Dragusin is the only player who'll definitely miss out through injury Tottenham predicted lineup vs Bodø/Glimt (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro Captain Patrick Berg is one of three Bodø/Glimt players suspended for the first leg / IMAGO / NTBThe visitors have a bit of an availability crisis on their hands They'll be without captain Patrick Berg as well as Hakon Evjen and Andreas Helmersen through suspension The latter received a pair of bookings in the second leg of the quarterfinal while the other two miss out due to yellow card accumulation Bodø/Glimt could also be without Ole Blomberg who missed their weekend's victory through injury and Odin Bjørtuft because of a groin issue Bjørtuft has played a key role in their journey to the last four and his absence will be significant if he can't travel to north London Bodø/Glimt predicted lineup vs Tottenham (4-3-3): Khaikin; Sjovold It was another bleak Premier League outing for Spurs at the weekend, who were trounced 5-1 at Anfield but their eyes were focused firmly on Bodø/Glimt's visit We've seen glimpses of Spurs' competence with a full-strength XI particularly in the first leg against Frankfurt and supporters will hope that their side can produce a complete display on the big occasion this week Their season boils down to this semi-final and they've got a serious chance of taking complete control of the tie given the number of absences Bodø/Glimt are dealing with the visitors won't go gentle into the night don't expect them to fold in north London They'll give themselves a chance of mounting a second leg turnaround JAMES CORMACK The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Assessing the Europa League semi-finalists there is a clear outlier in relation to European success Manchester United are one of Europe’s most decorated clubs and won this competition in 2016-17 Athletic Club had spent six seasons outside European competition before this term but they had been a fixture in Europe through the 2010s and reached the Europa League final in 2011-12 Tottenham Hotspur have not won a European trophy since 1984 but reached the Champions League final in 2019 Spurs were grouped among the favourites to lift the trophy in Bilbao on May 21 who knocked out Lazio in the quarter-final to reach the final four the prospect of European glory is relatively new Glimt were in Norway’s second tier — a footballing galaxy away from Old Trafford the Stadio Olimpico or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium After a season consolidating their position in Norway’s top flight finished second in 2019 to begin a rapid rise that has seen them become the nation’s undisputed top dogs they collected four out of five Eliteserien titles between 2020 and 2024 and established themselves as a force in Europe beating a Jose Mourinho-led Roma 6-1 in the 2021-22 Europa Conference League group stage before thrashing Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic 5-1 over two legs in the play-off round becoming the first Norwegian team to reach the semi-finals of a major European competition It’s the club’s greatest accomplishment and the outstanding achievement of any Scandinavian side this century “Bodo is a small coastal town in the north,” says Lars Magnus Roys a football journalist for Norwegian broadcaster TV2 “There’s not really much happening in Bodo other than football What they’ve done in the past few years has been just remarkable.” Now they have their sights on Tottenham Hotspur and what would be their most remarkable feat yet — earning a place in the Europa League final Glimt’s ascent has not coincided with a takeover from a billionaire or sovereign wealth fund After yo-yoing between Norway’s second and first divisions for the decade prior Glimt won promotion in 2017 and implemented a plan to revolutionise their culture and playing style — catching Norway’s biggest clubs with solid practise promoted to head coach in 2018 after serving as an assistant Glimt left a counter-attacking style behind and began dominating in the opposition’s half “The history of Bodo/Glimt until 2018 is that they were a counter-attacking team,” former assistant coach Morten Kalvenes told The Athletic in 2022 “So what we had to change at the beginning of 2019 to adapt but use that (counter-attacking history) Move the whole team much higher up the field but every week we were constantly looking for the signal where we can go from low to high.” Inspired by the principles of Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa Knutsen is renowned in Norway for his “murderball” training sessions preparing his players physically to carry out the energetic style that has provided the foundations for their success “Kjetil and I had a few meetings working on the preparation before pre-season,” said Kalvenes I want you to highlight especially one thing “What I noticed immediately was how the players were in training I felt that I really liked the attitude of the players how open-minded they were about the feedback how — if we are training for one hour — then all 60 minutes are of the same level of intensity What I mean is that if you do some simple passing drills at the beginning of the sessions then you get the players as focused even when you’re working on simple details.” After winning promotion from the second tier Glimt lost four of their first five games in charge believing in the style and culture he was building ever a discussion internally,” says sporting director Havard Sakariassen you saw the team was on a really good path The way we played was much more dominant than the years before “This is not a big club with a lot of decision-makers we were 100 per cent certain Kjetil was the right man — and he knew it.” A joined-up focus between the coaching team and the recruitment strategy was crucial to the eventual success Without hordes of cash to hoover up Scandinavian talent set for stardom Only one senior player, goalkeeper Nikita Haikin, who was born in Israel and represents Russia, hails from outside Norway and Denmark. Patrick Berg, their midfield fulcrum and star player, is homegrown and part of a family dynasty Berg’s grandfather Harald played 12 seasons for his hometown club and won 43 caps for Norway There’s never a guarantee of success when signing a player but recruiting almost exclusively from Scandinavia brings unique challenges Of the eight permanent signings Glimt have made in the last 12 months only Jens Petter Hauge has featured for their national team in the past five years who left for Lens in 2022 and returned six months later Hauge was re-signed from Eintracht Frankfurt after leaving Norway for a top-five European league and struggling to adjust Placed within an environment that allows incoming players to settle it’s no coincidence that Glimt players tend to maximise their talent “But the main thing is how you work with people because I know that we recruit good players If they come here and don’t perform well for the first or second month and we try to get the potential out of them and we believe that when we bring people in The demands of each role are really easy to identify players who can make a difference for us in Europe We truly believe we can develop players and those players can get to their full potential We need a blend of older players with experience younger players and those peaking in performance but they all have to be able to handle the intensity we demand to be able to play at this level in your home town So I think the culture in the club here is something they really enjoy we have become competitive in Scandinavia regarding salaries and the business part of it But I think it has to be rare to be able to play football with your mates at this level anywhere in Europe which allowed Knutsen to thrive in his first job in Norway’s top tier and brought the best out of players who had difficulty with the initial adjustment is a privilege not often afforded to big clubs in elite leagues whose Basque-only policy emphasises long-term player development but Ruben Amorim and Postecoglou are under pressure to deliver in Europe after disappointing league seasons at United and Spurs As the leading light of Scandinavian football there is regional pressure to maintain their relative overperformance but the freedom to operate outside the intense microscope their semi-final counterparts are subjected to has helped their evolution but not in the way you see in other clubs,” says Sakariassen “That pressure is not just something for the club So it’s probably easier to get out their potential and have some time here and that means that we have to be a performing club all the time We have to work on that and try to be patient with the players that we have it takes even the best players that we brought in… like Albert Gronbaek it took him one and a half years before he showed his full self in the team Gronbaek later became a Denmark international and was eventually sold for €12million (£10m) to Rennes after two seasons in northern Norway Vetlesen left for Club Brugge in 2023 and made seven appearances in the Champions League this term While performance in European competition has propelled them into financial parity with Scandinavia’s biggest clubs there’s an acceptance that when players shine there will be interest from more affluent and prestigious sides Given this success has been under the watch of Knutsen clubs around Europe have their eyes on the coach He was reportedly on Brighton and Hove Albion’s list before they appointed Roberto De Zerbi in 2022 and had interest from Ajax and Celtic the following summer As he has been the guiding light through this period there’s an element of the unknown if he were to leave Glimt but the club is confident that their culture — akin to Liverpool’s famous “boot room” succession plan — is strong enough to continue rising also within the coaching room,” says Sakariassen but it’s a kind of a flat structure where everyone is cautious on the pitch it’s not one person who makes the decisions; it’s not me who makes the decisions and ‘We do it this way’ So I hope that if somebody quits or for other reasons can’t work in the coming year we are spreading out the knowledge that could be a good and sustainable path into the future.” The future appears to be in safe hands but all immediate focus is on the Europa League semi-final Three Glimt players are suspended for the first leg and an injury to starting centre-back Odin Bjortuft in their 3-0 win over KFUM in the Eliteserien could weaken their preferred starting XI further Glimt have learned to be savvy in European matches and have impressed away from home this season including in a narrow 3-2 defeat away to United in November they truly fancy their chances against anybody “I think we will have the same belief that we had against Olympiacos Twente — it is not an easy way to play Tottenham,” says Sakariassen the interest around the club and the games are massive here in Bodo too but I hope we have and I truly believe we have all the tools to be brave enough to go out in London and just be Bodo/Glimt “The experience that we have gained over the last few years makes us more confident in situations like this I truly believe in the team and hope we make two great performances against Tottenham Elias Burke is a staff writer covering European football and transfers. He has previously covered U.S. soccer, West Bromwich Albion and Derby County for The Athletic. He is based in London. Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasBurke Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Ben Verbrugge is a freelance sportswriter with a journalism degree from CSU Dominguez Hills He is a member of the Los Angeles media and spends most of his time covering the NBA either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Tottenham Hotspur will face Bodo/Glimt in this UEFA Europa League matchup on Thursday, and you can catch all the action live with FuboTV Tottenham Hotspur and Bodo/Glimt will take the pitch on Thursday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in this UEFA Europa League clash as both clubs look to inch closer to the championship match Tottenham will have the home advantage as they look to win their first Europa League title since 1984 They have had a rough go during Premier League play this season despite having a positive goal differential so they should demonstrate that they are better than their record indicates in this one Bodo/Glimt enters as the underdog in this first leg but if they can at least hold it to a draw on the road they will be in a decent position to pull off the upset at home Kasper Waarst Hogh will have to come up big in this one This is a great UEFA Europa League match. 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Reviews ethics statement Tottenham takes on Norway's Bodo/Glimt in this UEFA Europa League semifinal clash with the north Londoners under pressure for a win as they look to salvage what has been a hugely disappointing season.  Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game as it happens wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if they're not available where you are Thrashed by newly crowned champions Liverpool in the English Premier League on Sunday Ange Postecoglou's men find themselves languishing in lowly 16th spot in the EPL standings raising the stakes for today's home leg.  Looking to inflict more pain on Postecoglou is a Bodø/Glimt team that has performed beyond expectations in this tournament Manager Kjetil Knutsen is overseeing a campaign that has seen them become the first Norwegian team to reach the semifinals of a senior UEFA men's club competition at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London AEST kickoff in Australia on Friday morning Dominic Solanke opened the scoring for Spurs in their 5-1 Premier League defeat to Liverpool at Anfield at the weekend American soccer fans can stream every fixture of this season's tournament via Paramount Plus which has exclusive live English-language broadcast rights in the US for the UEFA Europa League Paramount Plus has two main subscription plans in the US: Essential for $8 per month and Premium for $13 per month Both offer coverage of the Europa League as well as the Champions League The cheaper Essential option has ads for on-demand streaming and lacks live CBS feeds as well as the ability to download shows to watch offline later Newcomers to the service can take advantage of a 30-day free trial while students may qualify for a 25% discount If you're traveling abroad and want to keep up with all the Europa League action while away from home a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming.  It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security They can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins.  some streaming services may have policies restricting VPN usage to access region-specific content If you're considering a VPN for streaming check the platform's terms of service to ensure compliance.  follow the provider's installation instructions ensuring you're connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49% That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee TNT Sports has the rights to broadcast Europa League fixtures in the UK and this match will be shown live today on TNT Sports 2.  TNT Sports is the place to watch Europa League matches exclusively live this season in the UK You can access TNT Sports in a number of ways or direct streaming from its range of mobile and smart TV apps It costs £31 either way and comes in a package that includes Discovery Plus' library of documentary content If you want to stream Europa League games live in Canada you'll need to subscribe to DAZN Canada The service has exclusive broadcast rights to the tournament this season A DAZN subscription currently costs CA$30 a month or CA$200 a year and will also give you access to the Champions League As well as dedicated apps for iOS and Android there's a wide range of support for set-top boxes and smart TVs Football fans Down Under can watch Europa League matches on streaming service Stan Sport which has exclusive rights to show this tournament live in Australia this season Stan Sport will set you back AU$12 per month (on top of a AU$15 Stan subscription) but the streaming service is currently offering a seven-day free trial A subscription will also give you access to Champions League and Europa Conference League action as well as international rugby and Formula E Tottenham Hotspur are halfway through to a Europa League final showdown with Manchester United after a dominant 3-1 home win over Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the semifinals on Thursday MORE - Europa League semifinal schedule & results Spurs wasted no time whatsoever and were on the board after just 38 seconds as Brennan Johnson headed home from close range and set the tone for a raucous evening in north London courtesy of James Maddison’s fantastic touch and finish courtesy of Pedro Porro’s even more spectacular diagonal ball over the top Dominic Solanke made it 3-0 from the penalty spot just after the hour mark and the final score should have been even more lopsided with Spurs out-shooting Bodo/Glimt 24-3 and racking up a gaudy xG advantage (3.04-0.26) but in true Tottenham Hotspur fashion the hosts left the door open to uncertainty and danger by conceding a late goal from nothing Ulrik Saltnes wriggled free with three defenders surrounding him in all directions and found the back of the net on 83 minutes planting not only the seed of doubt in Spurs’ minds but Manchester United hold a 3-0 advantage in the other semifinal after beating Athletic Bilbao in Estadio de San Mames where the Europa League final will be played on May 21 Kick off time: 3pm ET Thursday (May 1)Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — LondonTV/Streaming: Paramount+ FK Bodø/Glimt find a lifeline through Ulrik Saltnes 💫 pic.twitter.com/1xvg6ilhqj Dominic Solanke makes no mistake from the penalty spot 🎯 pic.twitter.com/684JAMNO7B James Maddison finishes off a ridiculous pass from Pedro Porro 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aaU7sFi9qJ Spurs off to a perfect start! 👊Pedro Porro whips its to Richarlison who finds Brennan Johnson for a clinical header! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/T24vr3aBfm They currently sit 16th in the Premier League table and are on course for their worst league finish since 1977 as they haven’t finished outside of the top eight of the Premier League since 2008 Bodo/Glimt have absolutely nothing to lose and nobody expected them to get this far in the competition with the reigning Norwegian champs beating much-favored Lazio on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals after a wild topsy-turvy encounter in Rome Bodo/Glimt have a brilliant home record in the Europa League this season winning six of their seven home games so far and beating FC Twente Olympiacos and Lazio in their home legs in the knockout rounds by a combined score of 10-2 If they can grab a draw at Spurs they will fancy their chances of reaching the final Spurs captain Heung-min Son has out with a foot issue in recent weeks and Postecoglou has confirmed he will not be fit to play some part in this semifinal first leg Other than that it’s all about who will come back into the starting lineup for Spurs with Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven to start at center back while Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur will also start There will be several key players missing for Bodo/Glimt for this first leg with center back Odin Bjortuft going down with a groin injury at the weekend Hakon Evjen and Andreas Helmersen are all suspended Winger Ole Blomberg is also an injury doubt for Bodo/Glimt Everything is building towards a comfortable home win for Spurs but they don’t like to make life easy for themselves the stars have aligned for them to take a big lead with them to Norway for the second leg A Division of NBCUniversal DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only and there is no gambling offered on this site This service is intended for adult audiences No guarantees are made for any specific outcome ShareSaveCommentBusinessSportsMoneyBefore Historic Clash With Tottenham Hotspur, FK Bodø/Glimt Stays CoolByRobert Kidd Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Robert Kidd covers the world's most popular sport – soccer (football).Follow AuthorApr 29 ITALY - APRIL 17: FK Bodo Glmit in the center of the field they watch the penalties during the .. More UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between S.S Lazio and FK Bodo/Glimt at Stadio Olimpico on April 17 There is only one way Frode Thomassen can describe FK Bodø/Glimt’s run to the semi-finals of this season’s Europa League “It would be wrong not to say it’s a fairytale because it is,” the CEO of the club from northern Norway tells me in an interview Bodø/Glimt travels to London to play Tottenham Hotspur in a stadium that could fit the entire 55,000 population of Bodø — with space for several thousand more The return leg will take place in Bodø (Glimt means “flash”) a town 140 miles north of the Arctic Circle No Norwegian club has reached the final of a European club competition These are not only the biggest matches in Bodø/Glimt’s 109-year history — they are arguably the biggest ever for Norwegian club soccer The difference in revenue between Bodø/Glimt and Spurs shows the financial chasm between the clubs Bodø/Glimt turns over about €30 million ($34.1m) annually Spurs’ most recent accounts showed revenue of £528 million ($707.8m) — about 20 times higher we do not compete about how much money we have,” he says “We shall compete 11 against 11 on the football pitch.” The Norwegian champions’ remarkable run to the semi-finals has included victories over FC Twente, Olympiacos and, in the quarter-finals, a dramatic penalty shootout win against Lazio when they go into a home for the elderly in 70 years they will still remember that night,” says Thomassen who was in Rome for the “emotional roller-coaster” match He sees the season not as a one-off success but the culmination of a plan to transform the club and its culture Bodø/Glimt suffered relegation from Norway’s top flight it was promoted and survived with an annual budget of €4.2 million ($4.78m) a former fighter pilot with the Norwegian Air Force who served in Afghanistan and Libya Mannsverk was tasked with helping the players recover from the “collective mental breakdown” that came during the season the club was relegated Despite being based at the Bodø air base for 20 years his first day working with the club was just the second time he had been to Bodø/Glimt’s Aspmyra Stadion stadium But using techniques he had learned with his squadron including awareness training and meditation Mannsverk worked with players to nurture an open where “performance” is valued above results “We can win games and be disappointed (with our performance) and we can lose games and be not that disappointed but more happy with what we did,” he tells me FK Bodø/Glimt CEO Frode Thomassen (left) and mental coach Bjorn Mannsverk before a match against .. Players are encouraged to practice mindfulness share feedback and challenge one another without fear There is a focus on continuous improvement with a mindset that “the best performance is always ahead.” I believe it’s going to work for a football player,” Mannsverk says “You can always become a little bit better What we did yesterday is not necessarily good enough for tomorrow.” With a reputation for playing free-flowing the club won its first Eliteserien league title in 2020 Qualification for European competitions has brought memorable matches against historic giants of European soccer like AC Milan Bodø/Glimt has not been making up the numbers it secured a 6-1 win over an AS Roma side managed by Jose Mourinho in a 2021 UEFA Conference League match ITALY - NOVEMBER 04: Roger Ibanez of AS Roma chases down Ola Solbakken of FK Bodo/Glimt during .. More the UEFA Europa Conference League group C match between AS Roma and FK Bodo/Glimt at Stadio Olimpico on November 04 Bodo/Glimt has beaten Roma twice in the past four years The club is currently ranked the best men’s team in Scandinavia “I think mindset is the most dominant factor,” Mannsverk says “It shouldn’t be possible what we’re doing But it’s not a miracle — it’s hard work and mentality.” When Spurs travels to Norway for the second leg the players will find an artificial grass pitch in an 8,270-capacity stadium open to the elements and with a stand from 1966 The stadium sits only 400 metres from Bodø Airport The nearest large towns are 10 hours drive to the north and south snow had to be cleared from the pitch before kick-off “I don’t think it will be snowing (for the match against Spurs) (But) Of course it can be snowy in the first week of May,” Thomassen says “When Tottenham or Lazio take a flight to Bodø and come to Aspmyra it must be like going back in time 50 years You meet nature and you meet football in its purest sense.” NORWAY - APRIL 10: General view of the stadium ahead of the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Quarter .. More Final First Leg match between FK Bodo/Glimt and S.S (Photo by David Lidstrom - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images) English soccer is popular in Norway and even some members of the Bodø/Glimt staff are lifelong Spurs fans Thomassen could have sold out the home leg “seven times” and many more fans wanted to travel to London for the first leg than the 3,000 allocation For the group match away against Manchester United last November 6,714 fans filled the away end — more than 10% of the Bodø population the Bodø/Glimt players will prepare as if it were any other game Don't do something special with special games because that will introduce some more stress So we would like it to be kind of business as usual,” Mannsverk says Awareness training has taught players it is normal to feel nerves but they have learned how to put them as “background noise” “You can change your perspective and say that if I'm not a little bit nervous then I'm doing something wrong,” Mannsverk says “The pressure is on Tottenham We have to be brave enough to play our game.” As revenue has increased from additional match receipts and European prize money Bodø/Glimt has moved away from a successful player-trading model to focus more on performance in European competitions Yet it remains committed to financial sustainability Last year, soccer finance publication Off The Pitch named Bodø/Glimt the most “financially-sustainable club” in European soccer Some of the revenue from recent seasons will be reinvested in a new Since re-joining the top tier of Norwegian soccer in 2017 the club has played about 80 European matches with a settled squad and backroom staff “It’s many people carrying the same values “We have met teams from many countries that When you meet teams from the five biggest leagues in Europe of course a club like Bodø/Glimt will be the underdog “But we have survived and we believe in ourselves We’re going into a semi-final against Tottenham and we really believe that we can go to the final.” The Europa League semi finals are here offering a chance at redemption for Tottenham Hotspur but they could end things on a high by lifting the Europa League Bodo/Glimt for free from anywhere in the world This fixture takes place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt is available to live stream for free on ServusTV These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Austria meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access ServusTV from anywhere in the world Unblock ServusTV by following these simple steps: Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria Visit ServusTV The best VPNs for streaming are not free but they do tend to provide free-trial periods or money-back guarantees you can gain access to ServusTV without committing with your cash but it gives you plenty of time to stream Tottenham Hotspur vs Bodo/Glimt before recovering your investment Servers in 105 countries including Austria Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure Fast connection speeds free from throttling Stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodo/Glimt for free with ExpressVPN. Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day. Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen. Tottenham were merited winners over their Arctic visitors Tottenham took a big step towards the Europa League final with a deserved first-leg win over Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt - but a late goal just leaves a little window of doubt It was one of Spurs' best performances of a wretched season domestically and leaves them two games away from a first trophy since 2008 Ange Postecoglou's side took only 38 seconds to open the scoring as Brennan Johnson headed in from Richarlison's nod down And James Maddison doubled the lead when he brilliantly took down Pedro Porro's long ball before squeezing the ball into the bottom corner Dominic Solanke rolled in a nonchalant penalty for 3-0 after Cristian Romero was fouled Bodo/Glimt have made headlines in recent times for an intense style of football that has led to impressive results - but they were outplayed until Ulrik Saltnes' effort flew into the top corner via a deflection off Rodrigo Bentancur The other concern for Spurs was the loss of goalscorers Maddison and Solanke to injury in the second half The second leg in the Arctic Circle is no formality Their win rate at home in the Europa League since 2022-23 is 70% An all-English final in Bilbao could be on the cards with Manchester United winning their tie 3-0 at Athletic Club Are we set for Man Utd v Tottenham final in Europa League Domestically Tottenham are facing their worst season since 1976–77 sitting in 16th place on little over a point per game There is a good chance Australian Postecoglou will lose his job whatever happens in Europe now but finishing on a trophy would be some way to go It is 17 years since Tottenham won the League Cup Mauricio Pochettino and serial winners Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were unable to bring trophies to Spurs it would give Spurs a Champions League spot - despite sitting 23 points off those places in the league There was no chance Postecoglou was going to underestimate Glimt who knocked his Celtic out of the Conference League 5-1 on aggregate three years ago But he could not have dreamed of their start as they scored a first-minute goal in a European game for only the second time in their history with Porro's cross ending up with Johnson netting his 17th goal of the season Maddison raced onto a Romero long ball before shooting over the bar but later on he made no mistake from a similar Porro pass His first touch was excellent and he found the bottom corner despite having three Glimt players between him and the goal Spurs could have had a bigger lead at the break but Bentancur's volley was palmed over by Nikita Haikin And they did get their third when the video assistant referee spotted a foul on Romero with Solanke calmly and casually stroking in the penalty Glimt dominated possession - with 70% of the ball in the second half - but barely created any chances until Saltnes wearing the armband with captain Patrick Berg suspended for this first leg Barring a collapse on the artificial grass of the Aspmyra Stadion next Thursday Tottenham will reach a fourth final in this competition after 1972 1974 and 1984's two-legged showpieces in the Uefa Cup - winning the first and the last of those After the opportunity to rate players has closed the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users The Arctic Circle giant-killers out to upset Postecoglou again The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made Tottenham HotspurManager: Ange Postecoglou Sørli Match OfficialsReferee: José María Sánchez MartínezVideo Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro GrandeAssistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero MartínezAssistant Referee 2: Íñigo Prieto López de CeraínFourth Official: Alejandro José Hernández HernándezAssistant VAR Official: César Soto GradoMatch StatsKey Skip back to form guideSkip back to season so farMatch FactsScroll LeftScroll RightTottenham Hotspur and Bodø/Glimt have never previously faced each other in any competition Spurs have won all four of their previous European games against Norwegian teams beating Lyn 6-3 (away) and 6-0 (home) in the 1972-73 UEFA Cup and Tromsø 3-0 (home) and 2-0 (away) in the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League Bodø/Glimt have lost all three of their European meetings with English clubs losing home and away against Arsenal in the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League while they lost 3-2 away at Man Utd earlier this campaign in the group stages This is Tottenham Hotspur’s ninth major European semi-final and first since the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League against Ajax They’ve lost the first leg of their last two semi-finals (1-2 vs Hajduk Split in 1983-84 UEFA Cup 0-1 vs Ajax in 2019) but recovered each time to reach the final Bodø/Glimt are the first Norwegian side in European football history to reach the semi-final of a major competition It’s the first time there will be a country’s team represented in the final four for the first time since Ukraine’s Dynamo Kyiv reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 1998-99 Tottenham Hotspur are unbeaten in their last 19 home matches in European competitions (W15 D4) since losing 1-0 to RB Leipzig in February 2020 It’s the longest ongoing run of any English side who has featured in Europe this season Bodø/Glimt have lost each of their last three away UEFA Europa League matches and have won just once away from home in 10 attempts (D3 L6) a 2-1 win at Braga in the group stage this season The only two teams to lose the away leg of the last 16 quarter-final and semi-final and reach a Europa League final are Ajax in 2016-17 and Rangers in 2021-22 Bodø/Glimt have made 296 tackles in this season’s UEFA Europa League the most by a side in one season since 2017-18 when Marseille (309) and FC Red Bull Salzburg (346) made that many Midfielder Patrick Berg has made a record 63 tackles this season although he is suspended for this first leg Tottenham Hotspur have given 36 UEFA Europa League appearances to teenagers this season and 26 starts by teenagers are the joint most with Man Utd in 2019-20 Dominic Solanke has been involved in seven UEFA Europa League goals this season (3 goals the most by a Spurs player in a campaign since Carlos Vinicius in 2020-21 (6 goals The only Englishmen with more in one season for any team are James Tavernier for Rangers in 2021-22 (7 goals 2 assists) and Bobby Zamora for Fulham in 2009-10 (6 goals Bodø/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen is the second Norwegian manager to take charge of a UEFA Europa League semi-final along with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2019-20 and 2020-21 for Man Utd Norwegian managers have lost all eight Europa League games against English teams Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close Jostein Gundersen (Bodø/Glimt) wins a free kick in the defensive half Foul by Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) Fourth official has announced 5 minutes of added time Destiny Udogie (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick on the left wing Ulrik Saltnes (Bodø/Glimt) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner Mathys Tel (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box is blocked Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked Destiny Udogie (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom left corner playPostecoglou accuses Spurs critics of trying to 'diminish' potential Europa win (0:53)Ange Postecoglou bites back at suggestions that winning the Europa League wouldn't represent a major achievement for Tottenham Bodo/Glimt huddle around for a chat when they concede a goal and decide amongst the squad who should be captain for each game Their core principle is that they won't ever talk about winning or look at a league table There is not a single clichéd comment uttered about needing to pick up three points Nobody in the town of Bodo needs to be told that this is a David vs They know that you could fit the entire town's population (42,831) into the Spurs' stadium and still have 22,000 empty seats and that their annual transfer budget is the same as a Spurs player could expect to earn in a season They know they're still not quite on the map of European football that their opponents this season will all check to see where they are travelling to: they'll scan their finger north until they find a place that is a 16-hour drive from Oslo where daily sunlight lasts for just 56 minutes in December and nearly 24 hours in July This season, they beat FC Porto in the league phase before running Manchester United close. In their last game, the quarterfinals, they knocked out Lazio across two legs the first of which was played amid deep Arctic snow The idea of adding Tottenham to that list of victims But any story about Bodo/Glimt's emergence usually begins in 2017 with relegation to the Norwegian second division and the arrival of a Norwegian fighter pilot named Bjørn Mannsverk It was eight years ago that Mannsverk arrived at the club having recently given up active tours of duty that included missions over Afghanistan and Libya A colleague in his squadron had spoken to someone at Bodo/Glimt and wondered if he could help It was in the months after they had been relegated and the club's front office was adamant that their players were good enough but that it was a mental collapse at the end of the season that had cost them and asked if he would work with the players "Bjørn has brainwashed us now for six years now," Ørjan Berg who once played for the club and now works in its youth department Mannsverk would only work with the club on two conditions: players would have to see him voluntarily -- he would not speak to anyone that was told to see him -- and he would not be their agent "I said I won't go out and push decisions on the players in favor of the club [like signing a new contract or adopting a style in training]," Mannsverk told ESPN who was not being paid and later said it was more like a "hobby" at first "What if a player tells me they do not want to play football anymore?" he asked Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt may be from a town in the frozen Arctic but they've burned plenty of teams in this season's Europa League Are Spurs next? ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP via Getty ImagesIt's a big danger for a club to take on a man they do not even pay It did not take long before that fear became a reality One of the first players through Mannsverk's door was midfielder Ulrik Saltnes s----y in matches." Saltnes was struggling with stomach issues during matches that would cause diarrhea It limited him to being able to play just half a game at a time and once ruled him out of training for a week Club medical staff performed any tests they could and found nothing Saltnes was sure it must be a mental issue I'm so tired of failing when it comes to playing games and I'm so tired of being in pain," Mannsverk said adding that Saltnes revealed he planned to quit football in the coming months and begin his university studies "We started to discuss: 'Why do you love football Sign up for ESPN+ Saltnes spoke about the mental pressure he puts himself under "When you put your ambition too high or you limit your time to fix it then it's going to be hard," Mannsverk said "If the only solution when you failed is to use more force [pressure] [he] has been doing that for so many years why don't you just enjoy the last few months but then he counteracted; that sounded like being on autopilot He wasn't performing when at maximum intensity "Can you get less playing time than you have today?" Mannsverk said and then it just kicked off his performances," he said "I think it was 1½ months later the stomach pain was more or less gone but it is just telling me how much the mental pressure over time can do to you." To say it continued to work out well would be an understatement Just look at that snowy Europa League quarterfinal first leg against Lazio earlier this month with the full support of the coaches and boardroom "You see all the time when I go into organizations that there might be a stigma and some resistance but I think the way we do it is hardcore performance," Mannsverk said It's not being naked and having a lot of smoke and so on [As fighter pilots] we do it in our flight suits we sit down in the chairs that we normally use and we meditate." After holding 30-minute meetings with a number of the players to be brutally honest with each other about their performances Those thoughts are then presented by players to their coaches As Mannsverk puts it: "That creates friction." The biggest part of the club's philosophy now is not to view everything through the prism of a scoreboard -- league tables points and cup runs no longer define their success they focus solely on "process," on what they can control Anyone who has played or watched football knows that the better team doesn't always win; the scoreline only adds needless pressure Bodo/Glimt fans are used to the snowy conditions but few visiting teams from elsewhere in Europe are ready for playing football in the Arctic Circle. David Lidstrom - UEFA/UEFA via Getty ImagesIt sounds simple but it takes club-wide commitment and open-mindedness to achieve The topic of conversation then is always about their performance the idea to huddle after each goal came from a talk Mannsverk had with the players It was noted that their communication on the pitch was limited compared to the full team talks before matches and at halftime "It's a shame there isn't a timeout clock like in handball," Mannsverk told them one player noted how each time a goal is scored the match stops for a brief time That led to what they call "The Ring," where they come together to talk quickly about what went wrong and how to fix it another player noted that their performance often drops for a few minutes after they score a goal Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and others to bring you the latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only). Those meetings and techniques have had a relaxing effect on the team and brought confidence that they can execute manager Knutsen's attacking style of play built on high-pressing and high-risk passes "I don't think it would be possible to play like that without Bjørn and the mental work we do," Saltnes told the New York Times in 2020 I don't think that would end very well at all." The outcome has been multiple league titles and According to Ørjan Berg: "I think that today's team is playing the best football ever played in Norway." Bodo/Glimt may refuse to dream of Europa League glory inside of the club The club's stadium seats little more than 8,000 supporters meaning the majority of the town will miss out on attending next Thursday's semifinal second leg if the person is 2 years old or 102 years old everything is about Tottenham and 99% is about tickets for the match," Runar Berg who also played for the club before retiring and working in the marketing department Fans will be worrying about whether the team can stand up to the test of Ange Postecoglou's team Their task is made tougher by a number of suspensions: midfielders Patrick Berg and Hakon Evjen are suspended for the first leg while striker Andreas Helmersen is out for the whole tie Starting winger Ole Blomberg and first-choice center back Odin Bjørtuft are also doubtful those fears are not a hot topic inside the club It is an almost inspiringly misplaced confidence to have in a single team Other clubs have approached Bodo/Glimt to ask about the secret to their success who prefers the title "culture builder" rather than "mental coach," has been offered jobs at other teams do you have another fighter pilot or a military guy?' It's like That's why we are not afraid of sharing what we do because we know it's so hard to actually do it." Manchester United, who were at the heart of the chaos in the quarterfinals, are joined by fellow Premier League big-hitters Tottenham Hotspur as they aim to end their 17-year trophy drought Silverware is important for both of the English top-flight's underperformers but Champions League qualification is just as crucial—well Whether they can navigate challenging semifinal ties remains to be seen but they start the job on Thursday evening. Here are Sports Illustrated's predictions for the Europa League first legs United required a logic-defying turnaround to book their ticket in the semis with Harry Maguire the unlikely saviour during a thrilling quarterfinal second leg with Lyon The aggregate score finished 7-6 in the Red Devils' favour across both matches but Ruben Amorim will be eager to endure far less stress in meetings with Athletic Club The Manchester behemoths have generally saved their best performances for Europe this term but few can ever predict which iteration of the fallen giants will turn up on any given matchday Another tame outing at Bournemouth on Sunday will hardly have raised morale who are currently fourth in La Liga and likely to qualify for next year's Champions League are exceptionally difficult to beat and have lost just five times in the league this term—the same number as Barcelona which is bad news for United's misfiring forward line and they boast the likes of Nico Williams in the final third Tottenham and United have been similarly hopeless this season but the former have also salvaged a modicum of pride in the Europa League They have navigated challenging ties with AZ Alkmaar and Eintracht Frankfurt in the knockouts—albeit not entirely convincingly—and now have an excellent opportunity to make the showpiece event Bodo/Glimt, the reigning Norwegian champions, lie in wait and despite defeating Lazio in the quarterfinal they will be significant underdogs for Thursday's first leg in north London and the reverse fixture on home soil They have already made it further than any Norwegian team in a major European competition and will be aiming to do the unthinkable against Spurs Tottenham cannot underestimate their Scandinavian opponents and Ange Postecoglou will want a convincing victory to protect during next week's second leg EWAN ROSS-MURRAYEwan Ross-Murray is is a Sports Illustrated Soccer freelance writer who focuses primarily on the Premier League. Ewan was born in Leicester, but his heart, and club allegience, belongs to Liverpool. Erli Berg Daneshmand was born into the royal family of Bodo/Glimt which has provided the team with three generations of great footballers He has supported Bodo/Glimt his whole life But Daneshmand is also a deeply committed Tottenham Hotspur fan. It started almost 40 years ago when he fell in love with Chris Waddle He has a season ticket in block 517 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and is always flying from Oslo to London and back to watch them He never thought these two distinct parts of his life would collide — but Only one of his two loves can make it to the Europa League final “I’m going to feel completely flat,” he says “This is the worst thing that could have happened to me There is no joy in connection with this game at all I’m going to be at the Spurs stadium on Thursday and I’m going to be so confused you’ve been used to supporting the yellow team and the white team He says it is like having to choose between his children It is impossible to tell the story of Bodo/Glimt without the Berg family he was born into arguably the greatest player in the history of the club He was a local boy who broke into the first team at 16 when Bodo/Glimt were still forced to play in the regional leagues because teams from northern Norway were not allowed into the top flight finally guiding them into the Norwegian top flight and winning the Norwegian Cup in 1975 Runar and Orjan — Erli’s cousins — both played for Bodo/Glimt and Norway’s national team winners of four of the last five Norwegian Eliteserien titles which will make it impossible for Glimt to play their normal game So a young Erli had to support the team where his mother Sissel’s brother was a living god “But I also wanted to be a Bodo/Glimt fan because I was so proud of them.” He grew up watching them in the lower divisions through the 1980s and 1990s when Bodo/Glimt were back in the second and third tiers and the crowds would be around 1,500 And then when they returned to the top flight in 1993 It never occurred to Berg Daneshmand then that Bodo/Glimt might eventually become Norway’s dominant team — and one of the best stories in European football — when he started watching them “You could maybe compare them to a team like Southampton,” he says But sometimes they would get a Matt Le Tissier in their team.” But Berg Daneshmand’s football life was not just his family club “English football is on telly every day in Norway and has been for many Waddle left Spurs for Marseille in the summer of 1989 manager Terry Venables signed Norwegian goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt from IFK Goteborg for £400,000 “This made it much more attractive to be a Spurs supporter in Norway,” Berg Daneshmand says “You’ll find a lot of (Norwegian) people between 35 and 55 years old supporting Spurs because of Erik Thorstvedt.” Thirty-six years on from Thorstvedt’s arrival Spurs are still hugely popular across Norway Most fans estimate they are competing with Arsenal and Leeds United to be the third-most popular English side in Norway — all some way behind Liverpool and Manchester United Berg Daneshmand’s life as a Norwegian Spurs fan is typical He has a season ticket in the North Stand in a group of 15 Norwegian fans Berg Daneshmand estimates hundreds more Norwegian fans regularly attend the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium his group fly from Oslo to Gatwick Airport then hop on the Victoria Line to Seven Sisters and walk up to the ground they do the same journey in reverse afterwards He tries to watch Spurs away in Europe too he got tickets for Ferencvaros and Galatasaray away At least the semi-final second leg is not one that he has to worry about “My family basically ‘owns’ Bodo/Glimt,” he smiles Berg Daneshmand’s yellow team could knock his white team out of Europe No one would have imagined this 10 years ago And he puts his local team’s rise down to a clear-eyed strategic vision that has been strikingly absent at Tottenham in recent years Because Glimt have played the same 4-3-3 system since 1993 Every manager comes in and knows the way we’re going to play Spurs take turns or detours: Ange Postecoglou While Berg Daneshmand is not looking forward to the emotional confusion of Thursday He grew up in Bodo and lives just 200 metres away from Bodo/Glimt’s Aspmyra Stadion who he has also supported since the late 1980s It is a longer journey from Bodo to Tottenham than from Oslo meaning that Olsen has to take two flights each way to attend any game But when Olsen was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the 2-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest last week he knew that he would have to support Spurs I was sure I would support Tottenham whoever they met But I was at White Hart Lane against Forest and I could not think or hope that Tottenham would lose the game but Terje Flateby does not know yet who he will end up supporting He was born in Bodo and has his own family connection to the 1975 Norwegian Cup-winning side He started attending games in the early 1980s He cried when they missed out on promotion from the third tier to the second in 1985 He used to write the club’s matchday programme And he too became a Spurs fan in the late 1980s. “I think it was the white shirt, and Glenn Hoddle was my favourite player,” he says. “The two in combination made my life as a Spurs supporter.” He remembers David Pleat’s famous 1986-87 Spurs side — Hoddle and Waddle — who played great football finished third in the league and lost the FA Cup final Flateby soon made himself an integral part of the Tottenham fan scene in Norway setting up the Scandinavian supporters’ club with friends in 1987 (at the age of 12) and then becoming chairman from 1989 to 1999 Writing the members’ magazine gained him access to Spurs players to interview and he was a frequent visitor to the old Mill Hill training ground Not just Thorstvedt and Oyvind Leonhardsen mentioning the 1992 Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final loss to Feyenoord the 1993 FA Cup semi-final defeat against Arsenal and the 1999 League Cup final victory over Leicester City It is a reminder that while Spurs’ global popularity has taken off in the last decade There have been loyal communities of match-going Spurs fans from outside the UK and Ireland for a long time now Plenty of Norwegian fans have been supporting Spurs for 40 years That is enough time for Flateby to pass his support of both of his teams onto his son “or what it is.” But they will watch Thursday’s game together at home in Haugesund And only when it kicks off will Flateby know who to support “Of course it’s a dream but also a kind of nightmare,” he explains “My friends on both sides expect me to choose their team Most people expect me to hope for my home team But I have invested so many hours and feelings for Tottenham as well that I can’t say that is the way I’m going I don’t think I really know before the match starts.” Hanging over this game is the prospect of the final in Bilbao next month Flateby has booked his flights (Stavanger to Amsterdam to Bilbao) and was smart enough to book an apartment back in August Who comes to stay with him will depend on which of his two teams progresses Olsen has his flights booked (Bodo to Oslo to Barcelona to Bilbao) but knows that the pressure for a ticket will be far higher if Tottenham get there “It would be much easier if Bodo got to the final because then I know I’ve got a ticket to the final,” he says “But I will support Tottenham with all my heart.” Erli Berg Daneshmand and Harald Berg; by Erli Berg Daneshmand) Jack Pitt-Brooke is a football journalist for The Athletic based in London. He joined in 2019 after nine years at The Independent. Follow Jack on Twitter @JackPittBrooke Tottenham Hotspur have endured a difficult season, with the club on track for their worst-ever performance in the Premier League, as well as defeats in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup a Europa League semifinal first leg at home to Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt represents their last hope at ending their 17-year trophyless spell Manager Ange Postecoglou has repeatedly stated -- as fact more than as a prediction -- that he wins trophies in his second season at a club If his side can make it through these two legs then he will be one game away from making good on those words However, Bodo/Glimt are not the minnows they could seem. They have already beaten FC Porto, Besiktas and Lazio in this year's competition Can they add Spurs to that list of victims The match will be available on TNT Sports in the UK, Paramount+ in the United States and Sony LIV in India. You can also follow ESPN's live updates. Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez (Spain) Captain Heung-min Son will play no part in the first leg as he continues to recover from a foot injury therefore Mathys Tel is expected to play on the left wing who is out for the season with an ACL injury Posetecoglou can boast a clean bill of health Sergio Reguilon and Timo Werner are all ineligible in the Europa League Tottenham will be looking to take a lead to the Arctic Circle for next week's Europa League semifinal second leg. Alex Grimm/Getty ImagesBodo/Glimt The visitors will not be able to field a fully strengthened side as they deal with a series of absences Midfielders Patrick Berg and Hakon Evjen are suspended for the first leg after picking up too many yellow cards while striker Andreas Helmersen is out for the whole tie after being sent off in the quarterfinals starting winger Ole Blomberg and first-choice center back Odin Bjørtuft are also doubtful "I really hope the players are not thinking about the occasion and are able to play the game We have a journey where we want to find our identity in every game Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Spurs produced a (fairly) authoritative performance to earn a two-goal first-leg advantage against Bodø/Glimt 4d ago23.18 CESTPostecoglou describes the injuries to Maddison and Solanke as “just little niggles” and “hopefully nothing too serious”. 4d ago23.18 CESTEd Aarons’ match report from White Hart Lane has landed, and here it is: With eight minutes to play, this looked like being the night that the Tottenham fans had dreamed about. At times, it was hard to hear yourself think as the emotions of a frustrating campaign poured out with each goal that went in as they raced into a 3-0 lead over Bodø/Glimt. Brennan Johnson’s opener after just 38 seconds had set the tone against the plucky Norwegian champions, who have somehow reached this stage of the competition for the first time. Further goals from James Maddison and Dominic Solanke seemed to have given them an unassailable advantage ahead next week’s second leg on an artificial surface in the Arctic Circle. But as Kjetil Knutsen’s side have proven time and again during this remarkable run, they never know when they are beaten. In terms of performance I couldn’t ask any more of the lads. We were dominant, really well organised defensively and were always a threat going forwards. I don’t think the scoreline reflects our dominance but at the end of the day you want to end the first leg in a good position, and we got ourselves in a good position. 4d ago23.13 CESTSid Lowe saw Manchester United plunder a 3-0 lead from Bilbao, Athletic’s (joint) worst home defeat of all time in European competition: Manchester United enjoyed their night in Bilbao so much that they will surely be coming back. They remain the only unbeaten team among the more than 100 that have played in the Europa League over eight long months, and even if they do fall to a first defeat in seven days’ time, they should be there on its final game in this same stadium, this season given meaning and potentially a triumphant end. They came to the stadium everyone calls the Cathedral and defeated Athletic Club so convincingly that the second leg carries little threat. No one had won here this year in this competition and Athletic had conceded just 10 times in all competitions; United scored three in a quarter of an hour. The partying in the stands was at odds with everything taking place on the artificial pitch. There was no irony about the celebrations from the noisy Djurgården fans when their team finally found the back of the net. The roar was deafening and the emotion was genuine. The only problem, though, was that Chelsea were already four goals to the good by the time Isak Alemayehu Mulugeta got the underdogs on the scoresheet in Stockholm. 4d ago23.04 CESTBodo/Glimt’s home results in Europe this season Only in the last two have they kept a clean sheet: 4d ago23.00 CEST90+4 mins: Tottenham’s 13th corner, Porro taking from the right, is headed away. 4d ago22.59 CEST90+3 mins: Bodo have notably defended deeper this half, not giving Spurs that chipped pass over the defence for a forward to run on to. And without that, Spurs have struggled to create. 4d ago22.57 CEST90+2 mins: An extended spell of pressure from the Norwegians ends with Vicario coming out well to claim a cross. 4d ago22.56 CEST90+1 mins: Into the first of five minutes of stoppage time. Bodo are attacking in numers – another goal for them would transform this tie. 4d ago22.54 CEST88 mins: Porro’s cross deflects behind, but Gundersen heads the corner away. 4d ago22.54 CEST86 mins: Tel is playing at centre-forward now, with Odobert having dislodged him from the left, as Spurs attempt to reopen a three-goal lead. 4d ago22.49 CESTGOAL the visitors have a shot on target – and it’s only gone in A couple of nice passes to get the ball to Saltnes inside the penalty area and he cuts onto his right and has a shot that hits Bentancur’s boot and deflects over Vicario’s dive 4d ago22.45 CEST79 mins: Udogie gets to the byline, cuts infield, and then has a shot from almost no angle at all rather than trying to pick out any of three teammates waiting in front of goal. Haikin would have had to have completely abandoned his near post for that to go in, and he hadn’t. 4d ago22.43 CEST77 mins: More substituting, as Bodo take off Fet and Blomberg and bring on Jensen and Sorli. 4d ago22.41 CEST76 mins: Which is cleared. And Hauge is late into a challenge on Udogie, sending the referee back to his pocket. 4d ago22.41 CEST75 mins: Bodo/Glimt, who have been doing most of the attacking in these last few minutes (without converting it into a shot) win their first corner of the night. 4d ago22.40 CEST75 mins: Now Solanke is down, and feeling his left thigh. He’s being taken straight off, and Wilson Odobert is coming on. 4d ago22.37 CEST72 mins: The ball pings and also pongs around Tottenham’s penalty area for a while, with a couple of defenders improvising backheeled clearances to stop Bodo/Glimt from having a third shot. 4d ago22.36 CEST71 mins: That’s Tottenham’s 19th shot of the match. Their season high is 24, against Manchester United in September. 4d ago22.35 CEST70 mins: … from which Romero heads a food wide of the far post! 4d ago22.34 CEST69 mins: Bissouma does well to steal the ball inside the Bodo half. It runs to Solanke, whose shot deflects off a defender’s boot for an eighth Spurs corner. 4d ago22.32 CEST66 mins: Bodo/Glimt have also made a second substitution, bringing Auklend on for Määttä. 4d ago22.30 CEST65 mins: That substitution has now been made, and the game has restarted. 4d ago22.30 CEST64 mins: Maddison is on the floor, and has been since the goal. He doesn’t exactly look in agony, but there’s clearly an issue with his right calf/knee/something in that limb, it’s not worth taking any chances and Dejan Kulusevski is getting ready. 4d ago22.27 CESTGOAL and as Haikin takes half a step to his left 4d ago22.26 CESTTottenham have a penalty!60 mins: Both players tried to volley a bouncing ball in the area. Romero got the ball, Sjovold got there second and made contact with Romero’s calf. There was no intent and not a huge amount of contact, but it was a foul. 4d ago22.25 CEST60 mins: After Romero goes down the ball pings around a bit, ending with a shot rebounding off a defender into the referee, who stops the game. He’s now been called over to the monitor to have a look at that incident. 4d ago22.24 CEST59 mins: Romero goes down inside Bodo’s penalty area after a coming-together with Sjovold, and I think Spurs might end up with a penalty here. 4d ago22.23 CEST57 mins: Bjorkan earns the game’s first yellow card, for landing his foot on top of Johnson’s as he tried to poke the ball away. 4d ago22.21 CEST55 mins: Gundersen goes down on the touchline under the most feeble pressure from Johnson. The referee gives the free-kick, and Johnson is a bit miffed about it. 4d ago22.19 CEST54 mins: Another Spurs corner, which is headed clear to Udogie, whose deflected shot is gathered by Haikin. Updated at 22.27 CEST4d ago22.18 CEST52 mins: Tel wins the header from the corner, but doesn’t control it at all, and Bodo collect the loose ball and launch a briefly vaguely threatening break. 4d ago22.17 CEST51 mins: A foul is rather generously given for a foul on Van de Ven on Tottenham’s left. Maddison takes the free-kick and this time Bodo do with the header, but the ball bounces behind for a corner. 4d ago22.11 CEST46 mins: Peeeeeep! Finally, Spurs had the game restarted. 4d ago22.10 CESTNow the rest of the players, and the officials, are coming out. Bodo are also going to make a substitution, bringing Brede Moe on for Nielsen. 4d ago22.08 CESTThe players actually haven’t come out – only Tel has Apparently the fourth official has suffered a strained calf forcing a delay while the officials reshuffle 4d ago21.53 CESTHalf-timely scorecheck: 4d ago21.52 CESTHalf time: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Bodo/Glimt45+2 mins: Spurs have controlled – yes, you read that right – a half of football, scored two goals, and take a deserved lead into the break. 4d ago21.50 CEST45+1 mins: Bodo/Glimt have a chance! Maatta beats Udogie on the right and crosses, Blomberg’s diagonal run from the left to the near post coincides perfectly with the arrival of the ball, and he volleys over from about eight yards! Updated at 21.50 CEST4d ago21.49 CEST45+1 mins: There’ll be about two minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half. 4d ago21.48 CEST44 mins: Surprisingly the two teams have attempted and completed a very similar number of passes. Spurs have done almost all of the dangerous attacking, but they’ve been quite direct about it. Not a lot of extraneous passing going on. 4d ago21.46 CEST41 mins: Another long ball out of defence for Spurs. Solanke profoundly outpaces a lumbering Gundersen to reach it first, but the defender gets back to block the shot. 4d ago21.42 CEST39 mins: Save! Bentancur chests down a clearance and slams a volley from the edge of the area that was roaring into the net until Haikin turns it over the bar (I think Udogie took the ball out of play in the build-up, so perhaps it wouldn’t have counted). Updated at 22.27 CEST4d ago21.41 CEST38 mins: Spurs have now had 10 shots, three of them on target (I’m not sure those Bissouma volleys should count, mind). Bodo have had one shot, and it wasn’t on target. Updated at 21.43 CEST4d ago21.39 CESTGOAL 34 mins)For the third time already Spurs play a high pass from their own defensive line – Porro this time – behind the Bodo defence his first touch takes him wide of goal but forces Haikin to shuffle across which bounces behind two covering defenders and inside the far post There are a few unusual things about Bodo/Glimt They play in the Arctic Circle They’re also the first Norwegian side to reach the semi-finals of a European competition as they prepare to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League They’re also unusual in that their name features punctuation It’s not every day you see a football club name with a slash in it: almost as if they’re inviting the reader to choose between Bodo and Glimt The story behind the name is relatively straightforward and initially simply went by the nickname Glimt because another team in Norway had the same name they incorporated the town and it was initially hyphenated — Bodo-Glimt that became confusing in newspaper listings and on betting slips as people assumed it was referencing a game between two teams called Bodo and Glimt so the slash was gradually more widely used until it became the official name of the club Are they the only club with punctuation in their name They’re not even the only men’s club with a slash in their name the result of a merger between FC Eschen and FC Mauren in the 1960s from a punctuation consistency point of view And as longer-term followers of MLS will know there used to be a slash in one of America’s most prominent clubs the New Jersey-based New York Red Bulls ignore the geographic inaccuracy in their name but when they were established in 1994 they were much keener to ensure everyone knew where they’re from while at the same time associating themselves with the nearby city that more people had heard of they were the New York/New Jersey MetroStars but by 1998 that was deemed too cumbersome and they just went by MetroStars while the men’s team in that area ditched their slash While NJ/NY Gotham FC play in NJ and have “NJ” as part of their name Their club badge features a depiction of the famously New York-based Statue of Liberty rather than something from New Jersey (like I dunno… Satriale’s from The Sopranos) and they are almost exclusively just known as “Gotham” 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/3nTL3KMRG7 — Gotham FC (@GothamFC) April 29, 2025 Attaching a location to your club name can be a slightly tricky business especially if the name you’ve thought of already is a location… just a location that’s nearly 7,000 miles away were thinking about establishing a club in the early part of the 20th century what better inspiration could they wish for than a successful club with which their city had cultural and economic ties Liverpool Futbol Club was born but inevitably confusion began to emerge with Liverpool Football Club so while this isn’t technically included in their official name there had to be some differentiation made for a more global audience you’ll usually see them referred to as Liverpool FC (Montevideo) There is a clutch of other clubs whose names have taken inspiration from another so they need to clarify where they’re actually from Botafogo (Paraiba) and Botafogo (Sao Paulo) There are also various clubs named Al Ahly many of whom geographically identify themselves with the help of parentheses Maybe you’re irritated that technically most of these only apply to common usage rather than the official names of the clubs Look no further than Colo-Colo — or Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo to use its Sunday name — the Chilean giants based in Santiago They were named in honour of a tribal chief from the Arauco War Pedants might be annoyed to learn that some sources omit the hyphen from the club’s name possibly because the tribal chief in question is variously referred to as Colo Colo or Colocolo Or possibly because few people really care about hyphens the club’s official website goes with Colo-Colo Here’s where you could really get into the weeds: do you count FC Barcelona given that “FC” and “AC” and “AFC” are all initials and that should usually trump restrictive linguistic rules It’s less stupid with a couple of MLS clubs — D.C Louis City — given that the full stops are part of how the names of their respective cities are styled in the wide range of clubs whose names start with “1.FC” which include but are not limited to 1.FC Koln clubs are either the result of mergers or were one of several clubs in their particular town or city that have since gained primacy so the “1.FC” is designed to signify that they were the first to be established in that area there is only one football club with an exclamation mark in their name there used to be: for any non-English readers we promise that the seaside village of Westward Ho is genuinely real and is genuinely written like that and they really did have a football club called Westward Ho they seem to have disappeared at some point in the 1990s As we are yet to discover a football club with a semi-colon in their name or quotation marks (which would just make them look sarcastic: “Paris” Saint-Germain These include possessive apostrophes in clubs that are named after people or institutions — Newell’s Old Boys an Englishman who was a pioneer of football in Argentina named after a 19th-century independence leader of Irish descent simply named after the place in southern England the Senegalese team who got their name from French patron saint Joan of Arc If you want to get awfully clever about things there are other teams that have punctuation in their names without actually having punctuation in their names But you’ve already read more than 1,000 words about punctuation Give us your nominations and suggestions in the comments below Nick Miller is a football writer for the Athletic and the Totally Football Show. He previously worked as a freelancer for the Guardian, ESPN and Eurosport, plus anyone else who would have him. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickMiller79 Bodo/Glimt boast a formidable home record in Europe and play on an artificial surface in the Arctic Circle I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Dejan Kulusevski believes Tottenham can handle Bodo/Glimt’s artificial surface and stay on track to finish a disappointing season in the best way later this month Spurs will next week head to Aspmyra Stadion in the Arctic Circle with a two-goal advantage after they earned a 3-1 win in Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first-leg tie A late goal from Ulrik Saltnes provided hope for Norwegian minnows Bodo who will have captain Patrick Berg and Hakon Evjen back from suspension and boast a formidable home record Olympiacos and Lazio all defeated there in the knock-out rounds this campaign Ange Postecoglou has taken plenty of criticism for Tottenham’s disastrous Premier League season – with the club in 16th position – but backed his squad to “get the job done” in Norway and cited their quarter-final displays against Eintracht Frankfurt as evidence of their ability Kulusevski echoed the sentiments of his under-pressure manager and talked up the prospect of ending the club’s 17-year trophy drought on May 21 in the Europa League final in Bilbao “When you do performances like (Frankfurt) “I think in Europe We play with less risk and we put the ball up more in the space like we did today and we got to keep doing that in Europe “This season has been really disappointing but at least We have got to do everything possible every day to make it happen “It is different football (on an artificial pitch) you have to do what you have to do to find a way to win and we have got to do that.” Asked if Spurs would train on an artificial pitch before the second leg I have been playing it in Sweden so I should be prepared.” Kulusevski started on the bench after his recent injury lay-off, but watched Tottenham make an electric start in front of a white-hot atmosphere as Brennan Johnson headed in a 38-second opener The decibel levels went through the roof as James Maddison continued his excellent form in the European knock-out stages with a 34th-minute goal to follow up key contributions in the victories over Frankfurt and AZ Alkmaar After Dominic Solanke slotted home a cool penalty after 61 minutes, Spurs had chances to grab a fourth with Destiny Udogie, Kulusevski and Mathys Tel all going close before Saltnes reduced the deficit for Bodo. Yet, Kulusevski insisted: “Happy with the 3-1 win. It is good to be winning an important game like this, so it is perfect. “It was beautiful, really beautiful (the atmosphere). Hopefully it can be like this every week. “It was unbelievable. The energy was there. Then we got to 2-0. We always wanted more goals but 3-1 is good. “We are still two up. We are Tottenham and we have to go there and win the game.” Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Close2510BBC Sport travels north of the Arctic Circle to see how Bodo/Glimt and their supporters are reacting to what could be a historic season for the Norwegian club READ MORE: Bodo/Glimt chiefs calm on Knutsen future amid Leeds links Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRead descriptionEditor's recommendations'Spurs are afraid and they should be' - Bodo/Glimt fans confident 00:03:42'Spurs are afraid and they should be' - Bodo/Glimt fans confident 3:42Up Next Messi 'does stuff that normal humans can't do' Video 00:02:26Messi 'does stuff that normal humans can't do' 2:26Watch: Fan catches ball while daughter covers his eyes 00:00:19Watch: Fan catches ball while daughter covers his eyes 0:19'It's hard to watch' - Solskjaer discusses Man Utd woes 00:02:02'It's hard to watch' - Solskjaer discusses Man Utd woes 2:02Moyes & Pickford share favourite Goodison Park memories 00:01:06Moyes & Pickford share favourite Goodison Park memories 1:06Five things to know before Miami Grand Prix 00:01:51Five things to know before Miami Grand Prix 1:51Nobody expected this - Amorim on first-leg win in Bilbao 00:01:34Nobody expected this - Amorim on first-leg win in Bilbao 1:34Maresca praises 16-year-old Chelsea debutant Walsh 00:01:08Maresca praises 16-year-old Chelsea debutant Walsh 1:08Beckham at 50: His first taste of Man Utd 00:01:28Beckham at 50: His first taste of Man Utd 1:28'He's quite fussy!' - meet the craftsman who makes O'Sullivan's cues Video 00:02:09'He's quite fussy!' - meet the craftsman who makes O'Sullivan's cues 2:09Yamal is a genius 0:52Bompastor proud of WSL title winners Chelsea 00:01:10Bompastor proud of WSL title winners Chelsea known as a symbol of northern Norwegian self-esteem prepare to face Tottenham in Europa League semis The raconteur in chief is Jacob Klette, a sharp figure in his late 70s who made almost 400 appearances for a team that broke boundaries. “The northern part of Norway has always had to fight for its rights,” Klette says. “I played for Lyn, the best team in Oslo, in the late 1960s. You would open the newspaper and see adverts: ‘We have an apartment for rent, but not for people from the north.’ You felt disgusted to see it.” while still hammering at a glass ceiling from the second tier travelled to Oslo and sensationally beat Vard in the cup final “There are eight champions from that year around this table,” Klette says “I scored the winner here in the quarter-final against the champions After the match everyone swarmed on to the grass The next year we played Napoli in the Cup Winners’ Cup and their own fans booed them We showed you can be from northern Norway and play against anyone.” For five years that have brought four league titles and a string of European upsets “When they’ve done something special and come back here we treat them like it’s a normal day,” Klette says But we’re always here drinking coffee and the players tell us they appreciate the stability in this room.” whose first-leg suspension is a significant loss about the identity of his potential replacement in London one of Norway’s best-ever players and another hero of 1975 is sitting further down the table; they are just two parts of a dynasty that has left a profound mark on club and city “We always connect the history to each player,” Klette says But when KFUM visit the sky is perfect blue; overnight the clouds cleared darkness never quite shrouding a band of white arctic light that shimmered across the sea through the small hours The walk past Hålogalandsgata’s sturdy wood-panelled houses to Aspmyra is a picture Yellow and black flags fly from every second property the crooked peaks of Borvasstinden gleaming 20 miles in the distance Everywhere is theoretically walkable in this city of 53,000 although anyone from further afield has it tougher At least one fan has made the gruelling journey from Harstad 250 miles further north; some still travel three hours each way by boat from the Lofoten archipelago When Bodø/Glimt were allowing an entire region to walk tall 40 years ago people would drive for 15 hours from the country’s most remote region “This is basically one big dream,” says Magnus Vindenes a member of the J-Feltet supporters’ group We still see our players out walking their dogs A lot of them are local lads and feel the same way we do It feels good to show the rest of the country that this is how you do it Bodø/Glimt means something more than being just a good football team; they’ve always been a symbol of northern Norwegian self-esteem.” Inge Henning Andersen is not inclined to argue Bodø/Glimt’s chairman uses the folk concept “Askeladden” the underdog power of battling through using guts and ingenuity “The fact is that nobody has ever pumped money into this club “We haven’t always even been No 1 in this city But now we have come this far we’ll do whatever it takes to stay there our CEO [Frode Thomassen] said we might win a cup once in a while View image in fullscreenBodø/Glimt fan stickers in Bådin where the J-Feltet supporters group meet up pre-match Photograph: Marthe Mølstre/The GuardianAndersen sensed something had changed in 2020 when Bodø/Glimt followed a second-placed finish in Eliteserien with their first title They had rarely strung together consecutive successful seasons “Have we cracked the code now?” he asked himself “Vårres Måte” (our way) is the name of an action plan few domestically or among their continental scalps The previously little-known 56-year-old has created a machine by trusting in others’ cast-offs and developing from within returned to shine again in a formidably high-functioning 4-3-3 system and the former Milan prodigy Jens Petter Hauge are obvious examples “They come back and thrive in the system we have,” says Roger Andreassen who played for Bodø/Glimt in their embattled 1980s receiving only a car and petrol money in return when it gets to 70 minutes they can step up a gear and just overrun their opponents Free daily newsletterKick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football View image in fullscreenFormer Bodø/Glimt player Roger Andreassen Photograph: Marthe Mølstre/The GuardianAndreassen looks on from the back of Aspmyra’s oldest stand as Bodø/Glimt initially struggle to breach KFUM amid a muted atmosphere observe that well-wishers had been approaching him all week offering warm thoughts for the Tottenham tie without any mention of Sunday’s league assignment J-Feltet run through their choral repertoire of songs about friendship and the north which bring out goosebumps on a packed European night do such an efficient spoiling job that thoughts drift to the prospect of their eight away fans performing the appropriate dance In the end Bodø/Glimt slide up the gears again with three goals in the final 10 minutes another who must sit out Thursday’s game with a ban lets Sondre Sørli tee up Kasper Høgh’s opener a pragmatist whose celebrations in Rome were tempered by his sense the team had not played well He is asked after to savour their leap to the big time Read moreTalking a few yards from his coffee-drinking seniors Runar Berg runs through a lifetime of footballing stories handed down by Harald a group of players had to be hurriedly salvaged from a fishing trip in the mountains looking for a grass pitch on which to train for a cup tie further south the only local option was a campsite outside town “They turned up and found people with tents up,” he says The climate dictates that nowadays they operate on artificial turf which should still be little excuse for the multimillion-pound operations that have floundered here is to build a new 10,000-capacity venue a mile along the road Andersen hopes construction can begin this year View image in fullscreenFans make their way to the Aspmyra Stadion which the club plan to vacate for a new ground Photograph: Marthe Mølstre/The GuardianThere is a balance to strike: the club’s workforce has trebled to 120 since 2017 but the region’s remoteness limits crowd sizes Whereas they could have housed 40,000 fans for the second leg against Spurs a fraction of that figure would be willing to watch KFUM Bodø itself has faced changes to the fishing and air defence industries that once formed its lifeblood It would be difficult for the club to outgrow their home “I’m confident in the way this club is built and funded,” Klette says if you asked a player from the south to come here it was: ‘No way it’s too far and too cold.’ But the people in every department now are so dedicated and know their jobs by heart I think we can be in this position for the next two decades.” Klette breaks off to hail the previous day’s gamebreaker Sondre Sørli “We always give the coaches a brilliant impression that we are selecting the team,” he says Bodø/Glimt’s elder statesmen cannot quite go that far nowadays here in one of European football’s remotest outposts their decades-long cocktail of perseverance legacy and sheer love is unbreakably entwined in modern miracle Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League semifinal opponent, Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt, are in a world of hurt heading into Thursday’s match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. I wrote last week that Bodø/Glimt will be without three players due to suspension including club captain Patrick Berg and starting midfielder Hakon Evjen Reports out of Norway say Bodø/Glimt could be missing two additional important players — winger Ole Blomberg missed their last match with an injury he sustained recently and is a doubt for Thursday and central defender Odin Bjørtuft (which might be the coolest and most Norwegian name I’ve ever heard for a CB) left their last match with what appeared to be a groin injury Bjortuft in particular has been one of the rocks in Bodø/Glimt’s back line As a rule we do not celebrate when players from opposition teams get injured That’s both rude and also a pretty toxic thing to do what Bodø/Glimt are going through sounds pretty familiar after watching Spurs on the struggle bus for most of 2025 due to injury concerns of their own it’s undeniable that this situation helps Tottenham a great deal going into Thursday Spurs’ biggest potential miss will be Son Heung-Min who is working to recover from a foot injury and it’s an open question as to whether he’ll be fit in time to play and should be able to put out a very strong team at home against the Fightin’ Norwegians (no this is not their nickname but we’re going to say it is) It goes without saying that this is a massive opportunity for Tottenham While they technically don’t have to win (see their comeback win over Frankfurt after drawing the home tie) they won’t get a better opportunity to run up the score on their opponents to the extent that it’s possible Bodø/Glimt are 6-1 at home in the Europa League with wins over Porto and taking a substantial win north of the Wall would be advisable Spurs are playing host to the first leg against the Norwegian history makers who became the first club from their country to reach a semifinal in any UEFA club competition by beating Lazio on penalties While misery has pervaded over their domestic campaign Ange Postecoglou could yet end the season as a Lilywhite immortal should he guide the club to European glory in Bilbao given how challenging next week's trip to the Arctic Circle will be they'll want to win handsomely on home soil Here's how Spurs could line up for the first leg Tottenham succumbed to a beatdown at champions Liverpool on Sunday / IMAGO / Propaganda PhotoGK: Guglielmo Vicario–– The Italian has been conceding goals left, right and centre in the Premier League but he crucially kept a clean sheet in Frankfurt which helped Spurs into the last four RB: Pedro Porro–– Only Archie Gray has played more minutes for Postecoglou's side in this competition than Porro who was given a complete rest at the weekend CB: Cristian Romero–– Romero, like his preferred centre-back partner, missed a game against Liverpool for the fourth time this season He's a certainty to return to the XI on Thursday CB: Micky van de Ven–– The Dutchman teamed up superbly with Romero against Frankfurt and there's no doubt he'll be starting alongside the Argentine for Bodo/Glimt's visit LB: Destiny Udogie–– Udogie endured a bit of a nightmare at Anfield on Sunday but he deserves to start both legs of the semifinal given the two performances he produced against Frankfurt CM: Rodrigo Bentancur–– Postecoglou confirmed ahead of Sunday's defeat that Bentancur was merely resting He shone in the first leg of the quarterfinal and will replace Gray at the base of midfield on Thursday CM: Lucas Bergvall–– The Swede's been a shining light for Spurs this term emerging as a nailed-on starter during the second half of the season CM: James Maddison–– Maddison or Kulusevski Neither has performed particularly well as of late although the Englishman did win the penalty which ultimately got his team here Had Kulusevski fired after returning from a foot injury he'd likely be preferred but that hasn't been the case RW: Wilson Odobert–– Odobert has shown enough flashes since returning from injury that he's worthy of a start in this crucial fixture The Frenchman provides a spark in the final third and Dominic Solanke should benefit from his ability to separate ST: Dominic Solanke–– After ending his rut from the spot in Germany, Solanke scored an excellent header in the 5-1 defeat at Liverpool Spurs supporters hope he's saved his most prolific run of the season for now LW: Son Heung-min–– Son has been dealing with a foot injury over the past few weeks and remains a doubt for Thursday it's likely that Postecoglou has preserved his captain with the view of starting him for the semifinal first leg Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Tottenham Hotspur are back in action on Thursday evening when they square off against Bodo/Glimt in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final Spurs hold a 3-1 advantage from the first leg but came out of that contest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with three injured players Each of the trip were absent for Sunday's Premier League fixture versus West Ham United at the London Stadium, Ange Postecoglou's side still able to earn a 1-1 draw at their city rivals Sports Mole rounds up Spurs' latest injury and suspension news ahead of the long trip to Scandinavia Radu Dragusin Status: OutType of injury: KneePossible return date: Unknown Radu Dragusin will remain in the care of the Tottenham medical team over the summer as the Romanian centre-back will be out for several more months with the serious ACL injury that he sustained in early 2025 Son Heung-min Status: Major doubtType of injury: FootPossible return date: May 8 (vs Son Heung-min had been playing through the pain of a chronic foot problem for a while before having to start a spell on the sidelines last month Postecoglou has acknowledged the South Korean star remains a major doubt for this contest despite insisting that progress is being made James Maddison suffered a knee injury in last week's first leg and has been ruled out indefinitely Postecoglou gave the impression that he did not expect the playmaker to feature again this season Lucas Bergvall Status: OutType of injury: AnklePossible return date: Rest of the season Lucas Bergvall has already been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign having suffered ankle ligament damage in the same game as Maddison sustained his knee injury Dominic Solanke Status: Minor doubtType of injury: ThighPossible return date: May 8 (vs Although Dominic Solanke suffered a thigh issue in the first leg and subsequently missed out on Sunday Postecoglou has suggested that the forward will have recovered in time to take his place in the squad on Thursday Tottenham have no players suspended for this game For more stories like this click here to follow The Athletic’s sports betting section and have them added to your feed Tottenham Hotspur’s season is once again on the line as they host Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-finals booking passage to next season’s Champions League – is the only way to save a campaign that’s left them languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table Let’s look at the game through a betting lens attempting to predict what might transpire and find the best wagers to suit those calls It’s little wonder the bookmakers have priced Bodø/Glimt as serious longshots to win on the night as there are two major factors working against them on Thursday They’ve played seven games on the road in Europe this season and won just once with their last trip to England a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United The second is that, due to an administration error three Glimt players are suspended for the game two of which are key midfielders – captain and general Patrick Berg It appears the club did not fully understand the booking accumulation rules of the tournament and were shocked to find out those two players would not be available for the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium all of this – plus the fact that Spurs were genuinely very accomplished in their 2-1 aggregate quarter-final win over Eintracht Frankfurt – plays into the hosts’ extremely short odds to win they’ll have to work a bit harder to make the price more attractive The best way to lengthen the odds of a Spurs win is to add extra elements to the bet The former is probably the safer move here as Ange Postecoglou’s men are far more renowned for their attacking proficiency than their defensive solidity Lucas Bergvall’s majesty on the ball are all poised to cause Bodø/Glimt issues they did win 1-0 in Frankfurt in the quarter-final second leg but that was their first away clean sheet of the European campaign and they’ve kept just two clean sheets in six attempts at home Betting on goals feels an especially strong play when you consider the fact that not only are Glimt set to field a severely weakened midfield but history suggests they’re unlikely to shut up shop and defend from the off – even if logic suggests they should The Norwegian outfit’s footballing style is to get the ball on the deck and move it Given that they’re without Berg and Evjen for this game there will be calls to take on a more pragmatic guise but manager Kjetil Knudsen very rarely changes things up That could lead to some openness in the Superlaget’s structure or some turnovers that the Lilywhites can punish You can wager on Spurs to win and both teams to score at 6/4 or if you’re not completely convinced Glimt will score go with Spurs to win and over 2.5 goals at 8/11 Betting on outcomes requires you to envision how the match will play out and how both teams are likely to approach it playing a weakened opponent who struggle away from home and will look to rack up an advantage to take to the Arctic Circle next week will do everything they can to escape North London while still “alive” in the tie which typically means a maximum of two goals down If Glimt can get back to Norway within reach and welcome Berg and Evjen back to the XI they’ll feel they can win over two legs and reach the final there’s every chance they slow the game down where possible and 11/8 for over 2.5 away cards feels like a good value bet It’s priced up attractively because Knudsen’s men aren’t prolific offenders – they’ve been cautioned just 20 times in 14 games so far – but they’ll now play with a makeshift unbalanced midfield for the first time in the tournament along with the fact the prospect of winning this tournament is becoming very real could shape the behaviour of the Superlaget and result in more bookings than usual Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic The Athletic maintains full editorial independence Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication (Photo of Lucas Bergvall: Maja Hitij / Getty Images) Sam Tighe covers Premier League football for The Athletic’s betting vertical But this being Spurs, things are never quite that simple. Cruising at 3-0 after further goals from James Maddison and Dominic Solanke seemed to have given them a comfortable advantage, a late strike from Bodø/Glimt’s stand-in captain, Ulrik Saltnes, that deflected off the unfortunate Micky van de Ven changed the complexion of the tie in an instant. Read moreAfter a campaign that has seen them lose an unprecedented 19 Premier League games Ange Postecoglou’s side will travel to the Arctic Circle for next week’s second leg on an artificial surface – knowing that their season remains very much on the line Substitute Dejan Kulusevski could have restored their three-goal cushion in stoppage time but instead it was the away side who have somehow reached the last four despite operating on a fraction of their opponents’ budget that will take the momentum into next week’s decisive game There had been a huge sense of anticipation among the home supporters before kick-off with the giant South Stand transformed into a magnificent tifo display of the Spurs motto “To Dare Is To Do” just before the teams emerged Postecoglou stressed beforehand the importance of establishing a lead before their mission to a town almost 1,000km north of Oslo for the second leg although he acknowledged that a side who have knocked out Lazio and Olympiakos in the last two rounds were going to be no pushovers and midfielder Håkon Evjen suspended and Bodø also missing key defenders he would have known this was their big opportunity to put one foot in the final in Bilbao Kjetil Knutsen was able to name only five outfield players on the bench as their yellow-clad fans packed out the end behind Nikita Haikin’s goal hoping to limit the damage So it could hardly have been a worse start for them when Yves Bissouma – a surprise inclusion by Postecoglou because Lucas Bergvall was ruled out after injuring his ankle in training on Wednesday – found space down the right and picked out Richarlison at the back post The Brazilian’s header across goal deceived everyone but Johnson who made no mistake by directing the ball back into the other corner View image in fullscreenBodø/Glimt celebrate Ulrik Saltnes’s goal in front of their fans Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty ImagesIt was the fastest goal of the season in this competition and most of this impressive stadium erupted in sheer delight Bodø’s players formed a huddle in an attempt to reset themselves and they appeared to be just about coping with Tottenham’s threat Destiny Udogie flashed a volley over the bar at one end before Knutsen was on his feet appealing for a penalty at the other when the Italian clashed with Isak Määttä inside the area but the referee was having none of it Bodø had been given warning of the danger Maddison posed running in behind their defence when he scooped Cristian Romero’s long ball off target midway through the half The England midfielder did not make the same mistake twice as he raced on to Pedro Porro’s pass and finished with his left foot underneath Haikin Tottenham smelled blood and had the Russian goalkeeper not produced an excellent save to deny a stunning volley from Rodrigo Bentancur then they may have been out of sight by half-time Ole Blomberg could not hit the target when Bodø finally mustered their first sight of goal just before the break who had celebrated both goals with gusto on the touchline headed down the tunnel looking like a manager in control of his own destiny Richarlison did not emerge for the second half and was replaced by Mathys Tel with Bodø also making a change in their overworked defence They attempted to take the sting out of Spurs by keeping the ball but found it hard to escape their own half despite shading the possession statistics Disaster struck just before the hour mark when they failed to clear a free kick and Fredrik Sjøvold caught Romero first as he was trying to clear The referee initially waved play on but reversed his decision on the advice of the VAR who was the hero of Tottenham’s victory over Eintracht Frankfurt after scoring from the spot in the last round sat Haikin down before coolly dispatching his penalty into the net Tel could have given Spurs even more breathing space when his shot from a tight angle was tipped around the post It was to prove costly as Saltnes ensured there will still be plenty on the line next week Ulrik Saltnes gave Kjetil Knutsen’s Norwegian champions hope of mounting a comeback next week after Spurs had raced into a 3-0 lead in the first leg thanks to goals from Brennan Johnson after just 38 seconds, James Maddison and a penalty from Dominic Solanke. Bodø have a formidable record at home, having won six of their seven matches in Europe so far including victories over Olympiakos and Lazio. Read moreBut Postecoglou is confident that his side can overcome the challenge of playing on an artificial surface and reach the final in Bilbao later this month where they could face Manchester United “Look it is on artificial grass but it’s still a game of football,” said Postecoglou I know the experience and what is important for us is we need to replicate what we did today if we’re as disciplined and as organised as we were today I think it will make it really difficult for us to be stopped.” But Knutsen felt that the late goal could be crucial for his side’s chances “If you see when Tottenham conceded a goal “They lost energy and I think we got a lot of energy because of the goal I think we can take the energy from this game into the next game It’s totally different for us to play at home.” Postecoglou is hopeful injuries that forced Maddison and Solanke off do not rule them out of the second leg although he was less positive about Lucas Bergvall The Sweden midfielder signed a new long-term contract this week but was pictured wearing a protective boot as he watched the game from the Spurs bench after picking up an ankle injury in training “It’s too early to assess,” said Postecoglou it’s just the way our season’s gone on unfortunately re-signing with the club and he’s had such a great year for us where in training something innocuous like that ends up with him hurting his ankle let it settle down and we’ll find the extent of it.” Tottenham Hotspur are in the Europa League semifinals a Norwegian side who have been as impressive as they have been surprising They are missing a litany of players due to injury and suspension It is a huge chance for Spurs to rack up a significant first-leg lead and take one more step in their push for European glory and while Ange Postecoglou will undoubtedly send his side out to take the fight to their opponents the significance of the occasion can overwhelm But this is a damn good chance to take that one more step Slik stiller Glimt mot Spurs pic.twitter.com/KRrxm5uTKO Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bodø/GlimtTottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UKThursday, May 1, 2025Time: 3:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. UKTV: CBS Sports Network (USA), TNT Sports 2 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.comStreaming: Paramount+ The match thread rules are the same as always To any visitors coming here for the first time and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site #EuropaLeague #PreMatch #Information #Fans #FKBodø/Glimt We’ve a huge match under the lights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight (Thursday 1 May) as we take on Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of our UEFA Europa League semi-final Here’s all the key info you need to know.. The match will be televised live in the UK on TNT Sports 2 You can also follow all the action via the Spurs Official app and here on tottenhamhotspur.com, as our Match Centre brings you live text and audio commentary plus stats Heung-Min Son remains sidelined with a foot injury and will miss out for us Radu Dragusin is out long-term with a knee injury and is ineligible for the latter stages of the Europa League anyway along with Fraser Forster their influential captain Patrick Berg misses out through suspension along with Hakon Evjen and Andreas Helmersen Syver Skeide and Gaute Vetti are sidelined while Odin Bjortuft and Ole Blomberg will be assessed Spanish referee José María Sánchez takes charge this evening He’ll be assisted by Raúl Cabañero and Iñigo Prieto with Alejandro Hernández as the fourth official Carlos del Cerro Grande will be on VAR duties We’ll be wearing our traditional all-Lilywhite European strip this evening Bodo/Glimt will wear all yellow with their keeper in blue Temperatures should be around 24 degrees when the game begins Travel information is available here for supporters attending tonight’s fixture in person at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Supporters are encouraged to wear white at the game as we look to create a sea of Lilywhite in the stands as they talk down Tottenham’s pressing ahead of the second leg in Norway Given how well Tottenham Hotspur performed in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie the expectation is that the Lilywhites see it out in Norway which could have been more had they taken their chances and killed the tie off in north London with the fixture still finely poised at 3-1 Bodo/Glimt players remain confident that they can turn the tide in front of their home fans at the Aspmyra Stadion After the match, defender Fredrik Sjovold spoke to Avisa Nordland about Spurs‘ pressing and the weakness he believes he has spotted in their system The defender argued that Tottenham’s press is vulnerable and not much better than what is seen from mid-table Eliteserien sides He said, relayed by VG: “We just have to play simple and not give the ball away too easily I think their pressure will collapse pretty quickly “It is a very good team and they are good with the ball but the pressure is no better than an okay Eliteserien team Defender Jostein Gundersen echoed similar thoughts insisting that it is often more difficult to break down teams in the Eliteserien during that phase of play The defender said: “It is often more difficult to break down Eliteserien teams in that phase of the game.” Midfielder Ulrik Saltnes also highlighted how disjointed Spurs’ pressing has been and feels confident they can take advantage of it in the second leg He said: “I would say that it is possible to exploit It is something we have figured out quite well and which I hope we can exploit even more in the home game.” While the Bodo/Glimt players are convinced that there is a flaw in Tottenham’s game, Ange Postecoglou remains adamant that his side will finish the job when they travel to Norway. The Tottenham boss made it clear that all his players need to do is replicate their first-leg performance and they will be on their way to a European final I thought the players were outstanding today I thought our performance was everything it needed to be really well organised and disciplined defensively and really calm going forward and created good opportunities for ourselves and maintained pressure which does not I think reflect our dominance in the game but if we repeat that performance next week and it will be enough for us to get through.” Of course, the mind games have started and the Bodo/Glimt players are clearly trying to get in the heads of the Spurs squad – Tottenham just need to focus play their football and the advantage should tell How to watch the UEFA Europa League match between Tottenham and Bodo/Glimt Tottenham are set to host Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday With no laurels to be won domestically this season Spurs will aim to clinch their first European title in over four decades after overcoming Eintracht Frankfurt in the last eight the Norwegian side had to rely on penalties after fighting back with a 3-1 win against Lazio in the second leg of the quarter-finals GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch Check out GOAL's Live Match Centre for updates The UEFA Europa League semi-final match between Tottenham and Bodo/Glimt will be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London It will kick off at 12 pm PT / 3 pm ET on Thursday After deploying fringe players in the 5-1 league loss against Liverpool over the weekend manager Ange Postecoglou will name a full-strength squad on Thursday Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero will reclaim their center-back spots from Ben Davies and Kevin Danso while Rodrigo Bentancur should feature in the middle Efforts will be made to have Heung-min Son available at least for the second leg next week while Radu Dragusin is ruled out with a knee injury Antonin Kinsky and Timo Werner are not registered for the knockout stages of the tournament Patrick Berg and Hakon Evjen are all unavailable for selection due to suspensions key defender Odin Bjortuft was forced off after sustaining a groin injury over the weekend Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of reaching the 2025 Europa League final are intact after they defeated Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in Thursday night’s semi-final first leg with Yves Bissouma and Richarlison — two surprise picks by Ange Postecoglou — combining to set up Brennan Johnson with only 37 seconds on the clock mature and notably direct first-half performance with a second goal just after the half-hour mark James Maddison latching onto a long pass from Pedro Porro and guiding the ball into the Glimt net The third Spurs goal was a nonchalantly taken second-half penalty from Dominic Solanke after VAR had spied a foul on Cristian Romero by Fredrik Sjovold But just as it looked like being a perfect evening injuries to Maddison and Solanke were followed by a late goal from Ulrik Saltnes which keeps the Norwegian side — just about — in the tie Jack Pitt-Brooke and Elias Burke dissect the key storylines from the game the stands were a sea of white and the noise was deafening the 61,327 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium provided the impetus for the players to come out of the blocks flying Johnson opened the scoring after 38 seconds Maddison came close to making it two minutes later the chatter at half-time was whether Spurs would go to Norway next week three or four to the good As he did against Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals Solanke scored from the spot to give Spurs a 3-0 lead but that advantage was pegged back in the 82nd minute by Urik Saltnes Injuries to Solanke and Maddison are a definite concern and Postecoglou will be desperate to have his No 9 and primary creator (particularly in the absence of Dejan Kulusevski) fit for the second leg Glimt are a different outfit at home and the arctic temperatures in Bodo and the artificial turf at Aspmyra Stadion will be testing Tottenham have found inspiration with a more pragmatic style in the Europa League and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t believe they can go to a tough venue and make it through In the biggest game of his Tottenham tenure Postecoglou made two selections that made everyone gasp With Lucas Bergvall out with an ankle injury his first start since struggling at Wolves on April 13 the Brazilian’s first start out wide since October 2023 it felt like Postecoglou was going for power and experience over a younger No one could have expected Postecoglou to be vindicated as quickly as he was Bissouma won a ball he had no right to win Porro whipped a cross from the right and Richarlison’s header back across goal was perfect Brennan Johnson finished with a header of his own and Spurs were away Brennan Johnson heads home just 40 seconds into the game 🤯 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/trv06OX7CE — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 1, 2025 Spurs kept trying to use Richarlison’s physicality down the left although he looked rusty in front of goal a few times unsurprisingly given how little he has played He was withdrawn at the break for Mathys Tel but Bissouma continued to anchor the midfield alongside Rodrigo Bentancur giving Spurs a solid base to play a more direct they would have not have been able to do it quite like this Long balls have felt at odds with the style Postecoglou has tried to implement at Tottenham they have played the fewest number of long passes in the Premier League this season A perfectly weighted long ball by Romero over the Eintracht Frankfurt defence towards Maddison was how Spurs engineered the only goal at Deutsche Bank Park with goalkeeper Kaua Santos taking out the 28-year-old to set up Solanke’s penalty They came close to breaking through Glimt’s defence for the second time in precisely the same manner in the sixth minute with the Argentinian finding Maddison’s third-man run but his volley on the stretch flew over the crossbar with Maddison scoring his third Europa League goal of the season owing to a pinpoint long pass from defence drilling a 40-yard pass over the Glimt defensive line and into Maddison’s path who took the ball down slightly away from goal With Glimt goalkeeper Nikita Khaikin closing the angle Maddison bounced a right-footed effort past the ’keeper and into the net the Tottenham boss was delighted with his side’s display and not too concerned about the late concession “I still walk away from the game (pleased) in terms of the performance I thought we were three or four goals better than them and it ended up one-all But the performance gave us confidence to go to Frankfurt and get a result there and I think the boys will feel the same today Postecoglou praised the performances of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield “I thought Biss and Rodri were outstanding The beauty of Lucas is that he fills that sort of role really well from a defensive point of view and the reason I put Biss in there today I knew that we were going to need that from him the way Bodo set up and their ability to try and gain momentum as they build up their play I thought him and Rodri were going to be key for us stemming that he’s had an up and down year like all of us but I’ve still got full belief in him and full confidence that on a day like today he could do a really good job for us and I thought he was outstanding.” Postecoglou also dismissed concerns about Bodo/Glimt’s artifical pitch look it is on artificial grass but it’s still a game of football Spurs have to feel pretty good about where things stand With the ongoing trophy drought, any semifinal appearance is going to feel enormous for Tottenham Hotspur but it is hard to see any scenario outweighing this season’s Europa League campaign Ange Postecoglou put a target on his back with his second-season trophy comments last summer and has done nothing but throw gas on the fire with his club’s horrifying Premier League performance Postecoglou still has a chance to make do on his claim — in fact oddsmakers see Spurs as the most likely to raise the trophy Much of that is due to a substantially beneficial semifinal draw against Bodo/Glimt who arrives in North London as massive underdogs Spurs can ill afford to waste this opportunity; Thursday must end with a lopsided score line heading back to Norway 8:00 pm UKLocation: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Glimt finished ninth in the League Phase table and started the knockout rounds with wins over Twente and Olympiacos After taking a 2-0 lead over Lazio in the quarterfinals the Italian side came back to force penalties in Rome though the underdogs escaped in dramatic fashion The Norwegians clearly have the ability to take down bigger clubs These sides have never met in competitive play which is no surprise given Glimt’s limited European history Spurs last faced a team from Norway in the 2013-14 Europa League winning both fixtures against Tromso in the Group Stage With the first leg at home — and the second leg on a strange pitch near the Arctic — of course Tottenham will feel obligated to jump in front and bring a lead on the road that necessity is even more significant with multiple key absences for the visitors Starting midfielders Patrick Berg and Hakon Evjen are out due to suspension The gap in quality between these starting XIs is significant with full availability Spurs were always likely to own much of the ball but the visitors’ midfield absentees mean that possession absolutely must translate into opportunities and Dejan Kulusevski will be tasked with orchestrating the attack and leading a 90-minute onslaught on the Glimt net Tottenham really should be expected to dominate this one and log multiple goals and Twente all found success away from Bodo and the situation is set up perfectly for Spurs to do the same Should Tottenham fail to capitalize against an overmatched Glimt carries a significant homefield advantage and will relish a chance to dictate terms especially with the majority of its starting midfield returning in the second leg Playing first in North London could let Spurs to effectively put the tie away but leaving the door open becomes even more dangerous knowing how different next week could look The cries will be even louder for Postecoglou if his side comes out flat especially if defensive miscues once again lead to disaster going the other way I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt after two professional performances against Eintracht Frankfurt but taking care of the gimmes has been a challenge all year This team is desperate to take something from this season and has gotten the plumpest gift one could imagine