Latest news with #OdinBjortuft
Irish Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
What time and TV channel is Bodo/Glimt v Tottenham on tonight?
Tottenham lead Bodo/Glimt 3-1 as they travel to Norway for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final clash. If Spurs win the competition, despite being on course for their worst Premier League finish of 16th, it would earn them qualification for the Champions League due to a UEFA rule in place since the 2014-15 campaign. Here's everything you need to know about Bodo/Glimt v Tottenham: The match takes place at Aspmyra Stadion on Thursday, May 8. The action gets under way at 8pm. TNT Sports 2 will show the match live. Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario: 'We knew before coming here that the surface would be different to normal pitches, so nothing changed for us. 'If they can play on this surface, on an artificial surface in a semi-final, it's fine, so we are going to adapt. 'Many teams over the years have played here, so nothing has to worry us about the surface.' Bodo defender Odin Bjortuft: 'There's no doubt it is an advantage for us. 'At the same time, it's what you're used to. We train on this pitch every day. The same with the team we meet, they train on grass pitches every day. 'But of course, playing here at home is a big advantage for us because I don't think a lot of teams are prepared for what's coming. 'The ball goes really fast when you play passes and it's more difficult for defenders reaching attackers and getting contact with us. That's what we benefit from in these games. 'It's a big difference between artificial and grass in many ways, but the main key is that the ball goes so fast. 'It's a smaller stadium than they are used to. It's really compact and it's a city that stays together. 'We are really comfortable playing here as many home teams are. I think we have a good backing from the town and they are really positive, even if it goes south. It's a good feeling for us to have them on our back.' Bodo/Glimt win: 8/5 Spurs win: 7/5 Draw: 11/4
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Tottenham news: Bodo/Glimt 'advantage' on 4G surface
Bodo/Glimt defender Odin Bjortuft believes his side have a "big advantage" playing at home on their artificial pitch in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Tottenham. Spurs have played on a 4G surface this season, against non-league Tamworth in the FA Cup third round in January. The players seemingly struggled to adapt to the pitch as they narrowly avoided a huge upset with the game goalless after 90 minutes - however, they did progress with a 3-0 win after extra time. Bjortuft said: "There's no doubt it is an advantage for us. "At the same time, it's what you're used to. We train on this pitch every day. The same with the team we meet, they train on grass pitches every day. "But, of course, playing here at home is a big advantage for us, because I don't think a lot of teams are prepared for what's coming. "The ball goes really fast when you play passes and it's more difficult for defenders reaching attackers and getting contact with us. That's what we benefit from in these games. "It's a smaller stadium than they are used to. It's really compact and it's a city that stays together. We are really comfortable playing here, as many home teams are. "I think we have a good backing from the town and they are really positive, even if it goes south. It's a good feeling for us to have them on our back." BBC Sport Ask Me Anything: Why are artificial pitches unpopular?
Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Bodo/Glimt star says Spurs not prepared for 'big disadvantage' in crunch Europa League clash
Odin Bjortuft has said Bodo/Glimt's plastic pitch can have a huge say on Europa League semi-final as Tottenham Hotspur head to the Arctic Circle with a 3-1 lead ODIN Bjortuft reckons Bodo/Glimt's plastic pitch can derail Tottenham's dream. Spurs arrive in the Arctic Circle with a two-goal advantage but defender Bjortuft, who is set to return having been sidelined by a minor injury last week, says Ange Postecoglou's team could struggle with the pace of their all-weather surface at the 8,000-capacity Aspmyra Stadion. Bodo have won six of their seven home games in the competition and train on the pitch daily. And some Spurs stars may still be scarred by their previous experience of an artificial surface this season, when they needed extra-time to beat non-League Tamworth in the FA Cup. 'There's no doubt it is an advantage for us,' Bjortuft said. 'I don't think a lot of teams are prepared for what's coming. I think it's a combination [of things]. The ball goes really fast when you play passes and it's more difficult for defenders reaching attackers and getting contact with us. That's what we benefit from in these games. 'Of course, it's a big difference between artificial and grass in many ways but the main key is that the ball goes so fast. It may be harder to turn and everything for players that are not used to it.' Bjortuft has added motivation because he grew up as a fan of likely final opponents Manchester United. The centre-back regularly visited Old Trafford with his dad as a youngster and went to school 'every day' wearing the club's kit. But having already had 'an experience I'll never forget' by playing at Old Trafford during the league phase - when Bodo led early on before losing 3-2 - the opportunity to battle Ruben Amorim's side for major silverware would top the lot. 'It is pretty surreal. It's quite fun to think about the little boy who wore a United kit to school every day. 'I'm really proud and grateful that we have reached this level and managed to achieve this stuff. This will be a big moment for my whole life. I'll remember this moment forever and I'm really grateful for it. 'For us Norwegians growing up we always watch English football, everyone does worldwide, so it's special. But at the same time, we just have to treat it as a normal match. It may be hard, but I think we have cracked the code.'
The Independent
30-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
How Manchester United and Tottenham can thrive again thanks to a Europa League lesson
When Bodo/Glimt prepare for a game like Tottenham Hotspur, one policy is to try and not look at the names. The tiny Norwegian club has plenty of experience there, having faced Lazio, Arsenal, Manchester United and Ange Postecoglou's Celtic during their recent rise. The aim is to just see players as units, and their various strengths and weaknesses. It is a very rational way to look at something that could otherwise involve a lot of emotion, particularly for an Arctic Circle town that has a population of just 55,000 - almost 8,000 less than the 62,850 capacity of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 'We only think it's funny to show we can be as good as any name in the world,' says defender Odin Bjortuft. The general perception of these four Europa League semi-finalists, and how they view football, is going to hugely frame the outlook of these ties. On either side of both semi-finals - Bodo/Glimt v Tottenham Hotspur and Athletic Club v Manchester United - there are two fan-owned clubs who organically built on what they've got. Bodo are authentically one of the great stories of modern football. Their run to become the first Norwegian club to reach a semi-final is not just something that shouldn't be possible. It is all the more impressive since it has been achieved after years of sustained progress. This is no one-off. They are a model of diligently building on what you have, and being "smarter" about it. 'If you go back 10 years, the club was nearly bankrupt,' says director of football Havard Sakariassen. 'Nobody has given us money outside of prize money or us doing well. There is no owner here. Nothing like that.' Athletic have meanwhile enjoyed a rebirth, as their famous recruitment policy feels like it now offers even greater value in the modern game. By only selecting players who are connected to the Basque Country, they have benefited from the area's burgeoning talent production. Club legend Ernesto Valverde is meanwhile a coach who just fits, and last year's Spanish Cup win is seen as having given the club a badly-needed new confidence, as they lifted their first trophy in 40 years. They're now going for a second in two as well as a first European trophy, all in their own stadium. There's considerable romance to all this. On the other side, there are two billionaire-owned clubs that have burnt through billions of Premier League and Champions League money in the last few years alone. And yet here United and Spurs are, desperate for a Europa League to save their seasons - and maybe more. While there are obviously pure football and emotional reasons for both to want to win this trophy, there's also an inescapable financial reality. They both need the victory, and Champions League qualification, to satisfy PSR rules and future growth. It isn't quite what the great glory of European football is supposed to be about. These two semi-finals have nevertheless become about admirable diligence against extreme waste; immense over-performance against jaw-dropping under-performance. It's hard to know what should be more unlikely: Bodo getting this far, or both United and Spurs being so low in the Premier League. The English two are somehow disproving Sakariassen's true point that 'it's easier if you have money, that's for sure'. While none of this is to argue that it would be better for two Premier League clubs to go out, many in European football are only too keen to talk about potential moral lessons. It was following last season's Europa League final, after all, that Gian Piero Gasperini described his Atalanta's win as a victory for 'meritocracy'. 'There is still scope for ideas and football doesn't have to come down to cool, hard money,' he said. While so much of the modern game seems to be going in the opposite direction, especially with the expanded Champions League, there are figures in Uefa who were conscious of this. These semi-finals show why seemingly innocuous regulations are so important. Had the original idea for the expanded Champions League been in place, where two positions would have absurdly been awarded based on past performance, clubs like United and Spurs could well have had a safety net. Senior voices like Theo Theodoridis worried this might be going too far. Fan pressure was crucial. Now, both Spurs and United might be forced into more calculated thought about what next, just like their semi-final opposition. It is why Bodo can be 'an inspiration', as Sakariassen puts it, for even clubs much bigger than those in Norway. They might also show the way football is going. Much like Liverpool on a different scale in this season's Premier League, Bodo have made a virtue of 'performance culture'. It really is that simple in terms of explanation, if obviously difficult to execute. They began to think about how they could maximise every area of the club. 'They have used their limitations as advantages,' says Jens Haugland, chief executive of the Norwegian league. 'We need to be driven by very strong performance culture, because we can never compete in terms of money. Bodo is a clear example. They have done it for many years and are also able to repeat the performance. You can never buy a performance culture from money, you can never buy an attitude from money, you can never buy a collective from money. You need to work in a very detailed and systematic way for many years.' Athletic, famously, have an identity you can't buy with money, either. It is similarly instructive that, when Michel Platini first tried to get Financial Fair Play through 18 years ago, he turned to a prominent Athletic fan. The then Uefa president received crucial legal support from European Union Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia. This wasn't out of any club bias, but really about what football culture should encourage. It is impossible not to wonder what some of the Premier League executives might make of being forced into Athletic's recruitment policy, given that there are now voices at United who want PSR loosened. Bodo pursue a strategy that is similar to Athletic almost by definition, in having mostly Norwegian players, because that's just the market they're in. "Their main pitch to me was they could help make me better.' Bjortuft says. 'Bodo/Glimt have been really good at picking players who can give everything for the team.' Praise isn't universal, of course. There has been some criticism for how Bodo have benefited from that same Uefa prize money mechanism, with Sakariassen admitting 'a lot of Norwegian clubs probably see it as a big obstacle'. Some rivals around the Basque region meanwhile "despise" Athletic for "poaching" their players. Euro 2024 star Nico Williams was taken from nearby rivals Osasuna at 11. On the other side, both Arsenal and Chelsea are looking at him for the summer. Wealthy English clubs want Bodo manager Kjetil Knutsen. Money does tend to win out. The likelihood is that one of United or Spurs will win to reach the final. If they do, however, there are still considerable lessons to take from their opposition. Neither Bilbao nor Bodo see it that way. They have full belief. It's the conviction that comes from commitment to a unique identity. They are convinced they can give the best lesson possible.
Scottish Sun
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Tottenham opponents Bodo/Glimt in chaos as they face missing HALF their team for crunch Europa League clash
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TOTTENHAM'S Europa League semi-final opponents Bodo/Glimt face an absentee crisis ahead of Thursday's first-leg showdown. The Norwegian champions are already without three players due to suspension, including influential skipper Patrick Berg. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Bodo/Glimt will be missing some key players when they face Tottenham Credit: Getty 4 Club captain Patrick Berg is suspended Credit: AFP 4 Odin Bjortuft is injured Credit: Alamy 4 Ole Blomberg is also a doubt due to injury Credit: AFP But now they are sweating on injuries to key centre-back Odin Bjortuft and winger Ole Blomberg. Ever-present Bjortuft, 26, was forced off early in the second half of Bodo's 3-0 league win over KFUM on Sunday with a groin complaint. Bodo boss Kjetil Knutsen said after the game: 'I do not know anything. I never enjoy a player laying down, but the medical staff are looking into it.' Bjortuft is now a doubt for this week's trip to North London, along with wideman Blomberg who missed the KFUM game completely due to an injury picked up earlier this month. Skipper Berg, 27, is banned, due to too many yellow cards, along with midfield partner Hakon Evjen and striker Andreas Helmersen. The latter netted a crucial goal in the quarter-final triumph over Italian giants Lazio, which added to their impressive list of scalps this season. Knutsen's side have already beaten Olympiacos, FC Twente and Besiktas this season. While they also gave potential final opponents Manchester United a scare by going 2-1 up at Old Trafford in November, only to lose 3-2 thanks to a Rasmus Hojlund double. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Bodo's domestic campaign has only just kicked off, but they are unbeaten in four league games, winning three of them. Spurs' season - and possibly the future of boss Ange Postecoglou - hinges on them going all the way in Europe. Fire alarm at Stockley Park sees VAR SCRAPPED in middle of Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest match as statement released That is after an horrendous league term where they have lost NINETEEN games, with their latest disasterclass coming at Anfield on Sunday where a 5-1 thrashing handed Liverpool the title. Postecoglou has been without multiple key players due to injury this season but goes into the Bodo game only worrying about the fitness of captain Son Heung-min. The South Korean, 32, has missed the last four games with a foot injury.
