Who are Celtic's Conference League opponents FK Bodø/Glimt - Norwegian champions, beat Roma 6-1, star players could exit

Celtic were not given an easy tie to reach the last-16 of the Uefa Conference League.
FK Bodo/Glimt recorded some impressive results in the Conference League group stages. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)FK Bodo/Glimt recorded some impressive results in the Conference League group stages. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
FK Bodo/Glimt recorded some impressive results in the Conference League group stages. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Ange Postecoglou’s men were pitted against Norwegian champions FK Bodø/Glimt who wrapped up their second league title in succession at the weekend.

Who are FK Bodø/Glimt?

The club are referred to as ‘Glimt’ which means Flash and with their title win in 2020, they became the first team from Northern Norway to win the Eliteserien. They did so in thrilling fashion, scoring 103 goals in 30 games, winning 26 times and finishing 19 points ahead of second-place Molde.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Despite losing their three-man forward line, they managed to prove pundits wrong once more by adding a second title, this time with a three point advantage over second place. They scored 44 goals fewer but conceded just 25.

The two league titles are their only top-flight successes in their 105-year history.

Glimt play in a distinctive all yellow kit.

Manager

Kjetil Knutsen – the most succesfull manager in the club's history. Arrived as assistant under Aasmund Bjørkan before being promoted to the main job after Bjørkan moved into a sporting director role.

Star man

Patrick Berg – The 24-year-old has impressed both domestically and in Europe with his intelligent midfield play, in and out of possession. Composed with the ball, uses it very well and is adept at mucking in and winning it back.

European record

Glimt have never met a Scottish team in European competition. This season was the first time they had made it to the group stages of a European tournament and raised plenty of eyebrows when they thumped Roma 6-1 in Norway.

The team won all three of their home games and drew the three on the road on their way to finishing second, a point behind the Italian giants.

Their most famous European win prior to this year was back in 1994 when they defeated Sampdoria in the Cup Winners’ Cup but ultimately lost out over the two legs.

Anything else?

Former St Johnstone and Falkirk player David Weatherson, who finished his career in Norway, noted that Glimt's team could be different by the time they face Celtic with the Norwegian football season having finished and the January transfer window on the horizon.

Read More
Celtic face race against clock for Rangers match despite breakthroughs in transf...

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Comments

 0 comments

Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.