– Very good chances for a Norwegian team in the Champions League
Bodø/Glimt smashed Linfield 8-0, and advanced to the 3rd round of the Champions League qualifiers.
There awaits Lithuanian Zalgiris, who somewhat surprisingly knocked out Swedish Malmö. A team like Bodø/Glimt will probably be disappointed if they don’t make the cut.
– Zalgiris have all the opportunities in the world to beat. They’ve done well lately, so if they don’t make it. They are better known for basketball than for football, says TV 2’s football expert Jesper Mathisen.
If Glimt wins there, a playoff awaits, which is an obstacle before the group stage in the Champions League.
Affordable layers
Who they meet will only be decided after the third round has been played, but already now it is interesting to look at who the possible opponents might be.
Glimt can meet these if they move on:
FC Copenhagen
Trabzonspor
The winner of:
Maccabi Haifa (Israel) – Apollon Limassol (Cyprus)
Qarabağ (Azerbaijan) – Ferencváros (Hungary)
Ludogorets (Bulgaria) vs Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
Sheriff (Moldova) vs Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic)
Red Star (Serbia) – Pyunik (Armenia)
All teams must therefore play their way, with the exception of Copenhagen and Trabzonspor, who have already qualified for the playoff round.
– They should preferably avoid Glimt, says Mathisen.
The rest of the layers, on the other hand, they do not scare TV 2’s expert.
– I don’t fear any of them. Many have enough pressure compared to Glimt because the Norwegian teams have a different approach to this.
Thinks Glimt should strengthen the stable: – Well, they have to spend the money
– Good chances
It has not been a Norwegian team in the Champions League group stage since 2007/08, when Rosenborg entered the best club.
Jesper Mathisen believes that with the layers that Glimt can meet, there is hope for Glimt to stop the drought.
– This is the best opportunity of the year. Here, the chances are very good for a Norwegian team to make it to the Champions League, he says.
It was an adventure for flashes last season in the Conference League with great triumphs over Roma, Celtic and AZ Alkmaar.
– An adventurous opportunity for Glimt. It would have been quite an adventure. That shouldn’t really be possible.
He believes Glimt will take advantage of last season’s success when they try to aim for the group stage.
– At Aspmyra, all the teams will have a tough fight, and away from home, Glimt can use the counterattack force. You have to remember that Glimt met Roma, which is a good team compared to the standard here.
Mathisen is sure that the Glimt camp also sees a unique opportunity.
– Of course they have noticed who is waiting in the next match and that there are opportunities for group play. Anything else will be a lie. This is the opportunity of the ages for Glimt.
– It could quickly become the Santiago Bernabeu this fall, Mathisen asserts.
On Wednesday 3 August, Glimt take on Zalgiris, while they face each other in the second leg in Lithuania a week later.