Tottenham could encounter a couple of difficulties when they take on Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League.
Spurs will face Bodo/Glimt for their second league phase game on 30 September, after Lucas Bergvall’s heroics secured a narrow victory over Villarreal.
This marks the first time the two teams will meet since Tottenham booked their ticket to the UEFA Europa League final after beating the Norwegian side 5-1 on aggregate.
But the Lilywhites may find it difficult to return with a win this time around.
Bodo/Glimt chief warns they’re an improved side
Pedro Porro conceded a penalty last time Tottenham faced Bodo/Glimt in a decision which was controversial at the time.
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But the North London side managed to prevail against the Norwegian team before lifting the trophy later on. However, Bodo/Glimt chief Havard Sakariassen has warned Spurs they will face an improved side in the competition.
In quotes provided by talkSPORT on Monday, 29 September, he said: “Tottenham actually played a really good game here at Aspmyra against us.
“Really well organised, loyal to the plan and of course they have really world-class players. If they perform that well in their task, it is always going to be tough for us.
“For us it was a lot of learning. The reflection for us after the game is was there enough level on the physical side?
“So, actually that brought something to the table for us that we are grateful to have the knowledge about.
“It means we have since then changed and worked in a slightly better and more reflective way to see if we can realise the potential in the physical side of our players.
“I think that made us stronger and hopefully we will see that when we see them again that we actually moved up a step. That will be interesting.”
Tottenham have made some improvements of their own
Bodo/Glimt are not the only side to have improved drastically these past couple of months.
The Lilywhites armed themselves with several reinforcements over the summer, including Xavi Simons, who signed for Tottenham from RB Leipzig.
Probably the biggest change is Spurs’ dismissal of Postecoglou and then appointing Thomas Frank in his place.
The last time the two met, Tottenham were hoping to finish higher than 17th in the Premier League and had a host of injuries.
While the Lilywhites have not greatly improved on the injury front, Spurs are currently fourth in the league after several solid defensive displays. Different to Postecoglou, Frank is cautious in his approach.
The Dane puts more focus on the collective as opposed to the individual brilliance seen under the Australian at times. This is a Tottenham side with most of their defensive options fit and several more attacking choices going forward.
As a result, as much as Bodo/Glimt may have changed from the last time the two met, the Lilywhites are unrecognisable in several instances. Thus, with both sides offering something different this time around, these changes could make for an entertaining game.