preamble
After last week’s effort at N17…
…Tottenham Hotspur is almost at the final (let’s just assume it’s against Manchester United). Still, there are a few reasons to hesitate.
1. Ulrik Saltnes’ late goal might have given Bodø/Glimt some confidence
2. That goal could have also sown seeds of doubt within the Spurs camp
3. Bodø/Glimt has won three out of the last four European ties when losing the first leg away
4. They’ve previously defeated teams like Porto, Beşiktaş, and Olympiacos at home during this season
5. The upcoming game takes place within the Arctic Circle on an artificial pitch
6. Ange Postecoglou isn’t really known for a defensive strategy
7. And on and on.
I think it’s safe to say that few Spurs fans will take this lightly. Their team, however, seems well-positioned, holding the following advantages: they’ve won all five past matches against Norwegian clubs; their two most recent European semi-final wins were against Hajduk Split in the 1983-84 UEFA Cup and Ajax in the 2018-19 Champions League; they’ve triumphed in 18 of their last 21 UEFA ties when securing a first-leg home victory; they’ve shown they can fight hard, evidenced by a close 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarters; they’ve lost just two out of their last 14 European games; and they boast the most goals in UEFA Cup and Europa League history at 340. Plus, Ange Postecoglou’s tendency to push for an early goal suggests they’ll aim to wrap this tie up quickly.
So we’re looking at 7-7, which should be sufficient for Spurs to advance. Kick-off is at 9pm in Bodø, which is 8pm BST. It’s game time!
