Tottenham Hotspur

Ange Postecoglou has explained why Lucas Bergvall has not been included in tonight's squad for the first leg of our Europa League semi-final clash with Bodø/Glimt.

The midfielder, who signed a new contract with the Club earlier this week, has 'tweaked' his ankle in training and thus misses tonight's game.

An arrival from Djurgarden in the summer, the Sweden international has really grown into life in England and has been a star for us in recent months.

Still just 19, he has made 45 appearances for us already this campaign.

"Unfortunately, for Lucas, he picked up an injury in training yesterday," Ange said. "He just tweaked his ankle unfortunately and he misses out tonight, which is disappointing for him because he's been outstanding for us this year. Obviously he's hugely disappointed with that but, unfortunately, he misses out."

We can confirm the starting line-ups and substitutes for tonight's UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg against FK Bodø/Glimt at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (8pm UK).

Ange Postecoglou has made six changes from Sunday's Premier League trip to Liverpool last time out.

Cristian Romero starts and captains the side as the Argentine is reinstated into the back four alongside Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro in place of Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and Djed Spence.

Rodrigo Bentancur, who was rested at Anfield, and Yves Bissouma come into midfield replacing Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, who unfortunately misses out this evening, whilst Richarlison replaces Mathys Tel in attack for his first start in Europe since Elfsborg in the league phase on 30 January.

Our full line-up is as follows...

Starting XI: Vicario, Pedro Porro, Romero (c), van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Richarlison.

Substitutes: Austin, Whiteman, Spence, Davies, Danso, Gray, Sarr, Kulusevski, Moore, Odobert, Tel.

Spurs vs Bodø/Glimt, UEFA Europa League | Talking Tactics, with Rob Daly  Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs 3 Benfica 4

Our first-ever European campaign saw us progress all the way to the semi-finals of the European Cup, where our hopes of continental glory were extinguished by holders Benfica of Portugal. Bill Nicholson’s all-conquering Double winners headed to Lisbon for the first leg, where the home side took a fifth-minute lead through a near post shot from Jose Aguas. We thought we’d levelled moments later only for Jimmy Greaves’ goal to be ruled out for offside and instead, Augusto added a second on 19 minutes. We clawed our way back into the tie nine minutes after the break when Bobby Smith headed home from a Danny Blanchflower centre and had chances to equalise through Greaves, John White and Cliff Jones. Augusto made it 3-1 on the night in the 64th minute but there was controversy in the closing minutes when Greaves and Smith combined only for the latter to again be ruled offside, despite the fact there were two Benfica players on the goal-line. The return here 15 days later produced one of the greatest games White Hart Lane ever witnessed, even though the final outcome went against us. Described in the Daily Mirror as ‘a titanic struggle’, we threw everything at our visitors from Lisbon but fell just short following our 2-1 win. ‘One goal from glory’ as another headline proclaimed. The evening began in disastrous fashion when we went behind to an Aguas goal on the quarter hour mark. Eusebio slid the ball out to Antonio Simoes whose low cross was turned past Bill Brown. We thought we were back in the tie in the 23rd minute as Smith released Greaves who finished in style, only for the linesman to flag for offside - another decision which looked dubious to say the least. For the rest of the game, we attacked with real intensity and so nearly completed the most dramatic of comebacks. A 35th minute lob from Smith, who was set up by White, brought us level on the night and three minutes after the interval we went 2-1 up when Mario Coluna charged White in the back and Blanchflower netted from the penalty spot. We did everything but score the third goal to level up the tie, hitting the woodwork three times, most agonisingly in the final minute when Dave Mackay’s 20-yard drive struck the crossbar. Benfica went on to retain the trophy with a 5-3 victory over Real Madrid in the Amsterdam final.

Spurs 5 OFK Belgrade 2

We didn’t have to wait long for our next shot at European glory – just 12 months after the Benfica defeat, we faced OFK Belgrade in the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. The first leg was played in what was then Yugoslavia, deep inside the Eastern Bloc at the height of the Cold War against a side who were emerging from the shadows of their city rivals Red Star and Partizan and who were about to enjoy the most successful spell in their history. It was certainly a controversial match, with Jimmy Greaves becoming the first Spur for 40 years to be sent off, for allegedly taking a swing at OFK centre-half Blagomir Krivokuca. At this stage the scores were level at 1-1, John White having put us ahead on 26 minutes before the home side levelled 10 minutes later. Despite being down to 10 men, Bill Nicholson’s side displayed their battling qualities to grab a winner on 55 minutes through Terry Dyson, to take a crucial advantage back to N17 for the return. The following week we finished the job with a 3-1 win at White Hart Lane, but it was a much tougher contest than the scoreline suggests and it needed a fine defensive display to see us through, with newspaper reports praising the performances of Danny Blanchflower and Dave Mackay in breaking up the OFK attacks. Mackay in fact opened the scoring before the visitors hit back to make for a nervous atmosphere, but a strike from Cliff Jones and a Bobby Smith header extinguished any fears around the stadium and we were through to face Atletico Madrid in the final, duly romping to a 5-1 victory in Rotterdam to become the first British team to win a European trophy.

Spurs 3 Milan 2

The first season of the UEFA Cup saw us drawn against Milan at the semi-final stage, with ‘Captain Fantastic’ Steve Perryman the star of the show in the first leg here in N17. Early action saw Martin Chivers shoot over from a Ralph Coates assist and Pat Jennings parry a Gianni Rivera shot. Alan Gilzean headed over from an Alan Mullery centre before Milan took a shock 25th-minute lead through Romeo Benetti. Within 10 minutes we were level, Perryman’s rasping shot from the edge of the area beating Fabio Cudicini in the visitors’ goal. Riccardo Sogliano was sent off in the 61st minute by Spanish referee Mariano Iglesias for twice delaying a free kick. Four minutes later Perryman notched the winning goal. A defensive header to clear a corner fell to him outside the penalty area and he drove in a 25-yard volley. Needing a victory to turn the tie around in the second leg at the San Siro two weeks’ later, the home side squandered two early chances. Centres from Piero Prati found Rivera who shot inches wide of a post and Giorgio Biasioli who rifled over the bar. Then Alan Mullery stunned the 68,482 crowd with his sixth-minute strike. A Cyril Knowles raid down the left was beaten away as far as Chivers, whose shot was blocked. From the rebound Perryman rolled the ball to the right which Mullery hit with a 25-yard right foot shot high into Cudicini’s net. Following a slip by Knowles in the 70th minute, Phil Beal brought down Alberto Bigon and Rivera equalised from the resultant penalty. We held out under intense pressure for the last 20 minutes to claim a place in the all-English final versus Wolves, which we ultimately won to become the first-ever winners of the UEFA Cup.

Spurs 2 Liverpool 2 (Liverpool win on away goals)

As defending champions, we marched all the way to the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1972/73, only to lose by the narrowest of margins in an epic all-English affair. It’s a tie seen by many as a changing of the guard. Spurs under Bill Nicholson had been hugely successful at home and abroad during the 60s and early 70s, but Liverpool’s victory in this clash saw them go on to not only win the UEFA Cup Final against Borussia Monchengladbach but also dominate English and European football for the next decade or so. We were in a good position after the first leg at Anfield, going down to a 1-0 defeat courtesy of an Alec Lindsay goal in the 27th minute. Pat Jennings made a string of superb saves to keep the score down and we returned to north London confident of finishing the job. It wasn’t to be though, despite a frenzied atmosphere inside the Lane. Hopes were high of successful UEFA Cup Finals when Martin Peters scored three minutes after half-time when Alan Gilzean flicked on a Martin Chivers throw-in. But when Steve Heighway converted Kevin Keegan’s cross, it gave Liverpool a significant away goal and meant we had to score twice more to survive. Peters did eventually finds the net again to put us ahead on the night, however it was too little, too late and our grip on the UEFA Cup was relinquished.

Spurs 4 Lokomotive Leipzig 1

For the third successive season, we reached the last four of the UEFA Cup and this time made no mistake with a commanding victory over Lokomotive Leipzig. The defensive-minded side from East Germany had already seen off Ipswich Town and Wolves and were hoping for an English hat-trick, but we were a step too far for them. In stifling heat in the first leg in Leipzig, we raced into a two-goal lead. Martin Peters lashed home a half-volley high into the net to open the scoring on 15 minutes before a Ray Evans cross from the byline hit the crossbar and rebounded out for Ralph Coates to slam the ball into the back of the net 10 minutes later. Wolfram Lowe pulled a goal back just before the hour mark, but we held out to take a narrow lead back to London. There was no slip-up this time on home soil. Leipzig were forced to come out and play in search of the goal they needed and that played into our hands as the gaps opened up. In the 55th minute, Chris McGrath headed home a Coates cross to extend our aggregate lead before Martin Chivers sealed the win with a low left-footed shot four minutes from time. Unfortunately though, we lost the two-legged final to Feyenoord, going down 2-0 in Rotterdam after a 2-2 draw at home.

Spurs 1 Barcelona 2

It was eight years before we back in Europe again – and straight away we were back into a semi-final showdown, this time with Spanish giants Barcelona in the Cup Winners’ Cup. White Hart Lane was the venue for the first leg and it would be fair to say the game wasn’t pretty. We were renowned at the time for a free-flowing style of football under Keith Burkinshaw and were certainly tough to beat on our own patch, so Barcelona did their best to prevent us playing our usual game. It was a most controversial night of football, with the visitors deploying dubious spoiling tactics to knock us out of our stride and, unfortunately, it worked. Dutch referee Egbert Mulder could have taken action long before he sent off Juan Estella in the 57th minute but, even though they were reduced to 10 men, Barcelona made the breakthrough, Antonio Olmo’s long-range effort slipping through the grasp of Ray Clemence to give the Catalans a vital away goal. We weren’t to be denied on the night though and levelled with five minutes remaining thanks to Graham Roberts, who side-footed home Glenn Hoddle’s free-kick from close range. It was no more than we deserved and gave us a lifeline heading to Spain for the return leg. Two weeks later we reconvened at the Nou Camp and we approached the game confident of pulling off the result we needed to reach the final. But the match proved to be a step too far, coming at the end of a gruelling fixture backlog caused by the harsh winter which finally caught up with us. We looked a little jaded on the night but still produced a valiant display, the only thing missing being that vital away goal. As it was, Barcelona scored the only goal of the game a minute into the second half when Danish striker Allen Simonsen stabbed home after Quini’s header had looped into the area. A floodlight failure midway through the first half probably didn’t help our cause.

Spurs 2 Hajduk Split 2 (Spurs win on away goals)

Just over a week before our UEFA Cup semi-final against Hajduk Split in 1984, manager Keith Burkinshaw had announced he was stepping down at the end of the season. If ever the players needed an incentive to win a trophy, that was it. The popular Yorkshireman had already steered us to FA Cup glory in 1981 and 1982, now he was aiming for one last hurrah and his team made sure he had that chance with a narrow semi-final victory over the Yugoslavs. After just 17 minutes of the first leg in Split, Mark Falco’s cross from the left was handled by home defender Ivan Gudelj and Falco himself took the spotkick. Goalkeeper Zoran Simovic saved and denied Falco from the rebound, only for Tony Galvin to pull the loose ball back and Falco this time scrambled it home. Hajduk fought back though and goals in the 67th and 77th minutes from Gudelj and Dusran Pesic ensured a first leg victory. As it turned out, our away goal proved vital. Back in N17, Micky Hazard stroked home a beauty of a free-kick for his first Euro goal of the season but we couldn’t add to our tally. Tony Parks saved a Split free-kick late in the game as the visitors tried to find a way back into the game, but we held on to progress on away goals. A month later, it was Parks’ penalty shootout heroics that gave Burkinshaw the perfect send-off with victory over Anderlecht in the final.

Spurs 3 Ajax 3 (Spurs win on away goals)

No-one of a Spurs persuasion will ever forget where they were the night Lucas Moura scored the most magical hat-trick one could ever imagine to book our place in the Champions League Final for the first time in our history. Any thoughts of playing a final in Madrid were a long, long way off - not just at half-time of the semi-final, second leg in Amsterdam when we trailed 3-0 on aggregate - but months earlier during the group stage, when we had picked up just one point from our first three games. Mauricio Pochettino’s team rallied though, progressing out of the group before defeating Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City to set up a last four clash with Ajax. In what was just our sixth home game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Dutch side inflicted a painful 1-0 defeat in the first leg thanks to Donny van de Beek’s early goal. The Amsterdam Arena was a sea of red and white amid a cacophony of noise for the return game, as their fans sensed a glory, glory night of their own and it reached fever pitch inside the stadium as goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech put them 2-0 up at the break, 3-0 on aggregate. The mood changed however, just before the hour mark when our Brazilian forward Lucas struck twice in four minutes to draw us level on the night. And that meant we needed just one more to progress on the away goals rule. Both sides had chances in the final stages, Ziyech hitting the post and Jan Vertonghen’s header striking the crossbar. We thought that was it, but Lucas had other ideas. As the game entered its sixth additional minute, a deft touch from Dele was perfect for Lucas to stroke precisely into the bottom corner to spark wild celebrations for Spurs fans all over the world! Sadly there was no fairytale ending as we lost the final 2-0 to Liverpool, but the memories of Amsterdam will live on forever.

Bethany England, Ella Morris and Eveliina Summanen have all been recognised in our end of season awards.

Presented with the prizes on Tuesday 29 April, our skipper Bethany has been awarded the Adult Supporters’ Player of the Season while Ella – after an impressive maiden campaign in N17 – was named the Junior Supporters’ Player of the Season.

Bethany enjoyed another superb season in front of goal in 2024/25, netting eight goals in 17 WSL appearances, just four short of the League’s top goalscorers this term, Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw and Arsenal's Alessia Russo.

Our number nine has also broken a number of records in England’s top flight this campaign, becoming the first player to have scored against every club to have played in the WSL before her strike against City in March saw her score 25+ goals for two different teams – the first player to have achieved that in the competition.

Despite injury woes disrupting her first season with the Club, Ella, 22, has been a shining light for us since returning to action in February following a MCL injury. The England youth international returned for the north London derby at Emirates Stadium in February and has started our last six WSL games – a run which saw her net her first goal for the Club, coming against Aston Villa earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Eveliina has picked up the fan-voted Goal of the Season award for her stunning strike against Villa in the Women’s League Cup in November.

Having received the ball just inside our half, around 40 yards out, the Finland international unleashed a powerful effort towards goal that picked out the top right corner of the net.

Watch | Eveliina Summanen's strike against Villa

We’ve a huge match under the lights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight (Thursday 1 May) as we take on Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of our UEFA Europa League semi-final.

Here’s all the key info you need to know...

What time is kick-off against Bodo/Glimt?

Tonight’s match gets underway at 8pm UK.

How can I watch the game?

The match will be televised live in the UK on TNT Sports 2.

You can also follow all the action via the Spurs Official app and here on tottenhamhotspur.com, as our Match Centre brings you live text and audio commentary plus stats, pictures and more.

What is the team news?

Heung-Min Son remains sidelined with a foot injury and will miss out for us.

Radu Dragusin is out long-term with a knee injury and is ineligible for the latter stages of the Europa League anyway along with Fraser Forster, Antonin Kinsky, Sergio Reguilon and Timo Werner.

As for the visitors, their influential captain Patrick Berg misses out through suspension along with Hakon Evjen and Andreas Helmersen.

Syver Skeide and Gaute Vetti are sidelined, while Odin Bjortuft and Ole Blomberg will be assessed.

Who is the referee?

Spanish referee José María Sánchez takes charge this evening.

He’ll be assisted by Raúl Cabañero and Iñigo Prieto, with Alejandro Hernández as the fourth official.

Carlos del Cerro Grande will be on VAR duties, along with assistant Cesar Soto Grado.

What colours will the teams be playing in?

We’ll be wearing our traditional all-Lilywhite European strip this evening, with our goalkeeper in orange.

Bodo/Glimt will wear all yellow with their keeper in blue.

What will the weather conditions be like?

It’s set to be another bright, sunny day in north London. Temperatures should be around 24 degrees when the game begins.

How can I get the matchday programme and what’s included?

Dominic Solanke, match-winner against Eintracht Frankfurt last time out in this competition, stars on the cover and speaks in our exclusive main feature interview inside tonight’s official matchday programme. Also featuring Ange Postecoglou’s exclusive column, plus a whole lot more, it’s available for the usual £4 at the game. Copies can be purchased around the stadium or online here for delivery direct to your door.

What is the travel information if I’m going to the game?

Travel information is available here for supporters attending tonight’s fixture in person at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Supporters are encouraged to wear white at the game as we look to create a sea of Lilywhite in the stands.

Bodo/Glimt will have to do without key players for tonight's Europa league semi-final first leg clash.

Coming in to this evening's meeting in north London, the Norwegian side will certainly be without three players through suspension while recent injuries have hit their squad.

Perhaps their biggest loss for the clash is their club captain, Patrick Berg. The Norway international midfielder has made over 250 appearances for his hometown club across two spells and has not missed a minute in this season's Europa League campaign.

Berg's influence on his side cannot be underestimated. Bodo have won four of the last five Norway top flight titles with Berg being part of each title-winning squad. The time Bodo didn't win the league (finishing second in 2022), Berg had left to join French side Lens for the year.

Another player out through suspension for Bodo is Berg's midfield counterpart Hakon Evjen. He has started every game for Bodo so far in this season's Europa League but will miss out tonight as, like Berg, he picked up his third yellow card of the campaign in Bodo's quarter-final second leg win over Lazio.

Meanwhile, forward Andreas Helmersen, who scored a crucial goal in Rome to send the game to penalties, will also miss the game through suspension. A bit-part player for Bodo thus far, he was shown a red card late on against Lazio after picking up two yellow cards.

Elsewhere, the Norwegian side have injury concerns.

Winter arrival Ole Didrik Blomberg has missed Bodo's last two games through injury. The winger has played a crucial role in Bodo's Europa League knockout stage since his January arrival from Brann but is a doubt for the semi-final.

Meanwhile, central defender Odin Bjørtuft was forced off in Bodo's Eliteserien win over KFUM on Sunday. He has started all bar three of the Norwegian side's Europa League games thus far this term.

FK Bodo/Glimt (Norway)

Manager - Kjetil Knutsen.

Domestic form - 3rd in Norway's Eliteserien, it's a summer league and therefore Bodo/Glimt have only played four games so far, winning three, drawing the fourth.

Europa League form - finished just outside the top eight in ninth, which meant a play-off against Dutch side Twente (6-4 on aggregate). They then beat Olympiacos in the Round of 16 (4-2 on aggregate, with a 3-0 home leg win) and famously Lazio on penalties in the quarter-finals (again, after a 2-0 home win).

Andy Brassell...

"Bodo/Glimt is an incredible story. I guess the thing to point out is how they got here, which is on the back of their their home form, as you would expect, but also with some gutsy performances away. People would look at it on paper, the fact that they lost to Lazio in the quarter-final away leg and pulled it around in extra time, but it's the fact they did pull it around extra time that's the amazing thing, because the longer it went on, the more people would have expected them to lose. So, they actually missed a golden chance to win it in in stoppage time through Andreas Helmersen, then they conceded a goal in the second minute of stoppage time to go into extra time. They then went 3-0 down, and then Helmersen pulled them out of it with the goal that ends up taking them to to penalties (3-1 on the night, 3-3 on aggregate). Helmersen's going to be suspended for the first leg, by the way, as well as Patrick Berg, who's their sort of north star in midfield, so that's a real big loss. Helmersen was sent off at the end of extra time in in that game against Lazio. The impressive thing to me is not just how they keep their nerve, but a fact that we're kind of overlooking because we've never had a Norwegian club in a a semi-final of a European competition is that they are only four games into their domestic season, and they've started quite well, but when you look at how tired most teams around Europe look at the top level, this is the advantage of a summer league. If you are a club from a country that runs a summer league, and you manage to get this far in Europe, you'll have a lot more in the tank, and I think that showed in how they negotiated extra time against Lazio.

"Bodo/Glimt's club model is amazing. They've won four of the last five Eliteserien titles, and the fact they've done that and competed in Europe has allowed them to build up a financial strength as well as a sporting strength that's not that common for Norway. For example, when Patrick Berg went to Lens, didn't really like it, they were able to buy him back for £4million, which no other Norwegian club could do. Look at Jens Petter Hauge, who will be a threat, he went to Milan, to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he won the Europa League, and they were able to bring him back. Inevitably, they will lose players as the years go by, but they've got a strong enough brand and name now that they can get in players that no other Norwegian club would would be able to. Of course, the fact that Kjetil Knutsen (manager) has has been there for seven or eight years, I think that's key as well. He's been offered Premier League jobs, heavily linked with a Brighton job, but he stuck with Bodo/Glimt because he feels like it's a it's a great project. So, they are in a better position than pretty much any of their domestic rivals by a long way. I guess you could say in a different format of the Europa League - last season's - it would have been incredibly hard to get this far, but they've taken advantage of this this new format. I think they're a genuine contender to win the competition - we can't be writing them off."

Here’s a look at some of the things Ange Postecoglou had to say when he spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon ahead of Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League semi-final, first leg against Bodo/Glimt (8pm UK)...

Ange on Heung-Min Son’s availability

“No, he won’t feature tomorrow night. He is out training but is still separate from the group. He is improving and hopefully we can get him back sooner rather than later.”

Ange on what he expects from Bodo/Glimt

“They have been pretty consistent in the last few years, obviously they have the same manager and core group of players, but definitely a distinct style of football that they have stuck to and they’ve had success with. They’ve been pretty consistent in the Norwegian league but also in Europe and every game they’ve played, irrespective of the opposition, they’ve played some really good quality opposition in Europe and always been really competitive. I think that is borne from the fact they are very stable and have a clear understanding of how they play their football. It will be a good challenge for us.”

Ange on Lucas Bergvall’s new contract and overall development

“I’m delighted for Lucas. It’s reward for his development this year, his performances and how well he has adapted. We’ve got to remember a lot of young guys who come to the Premier League maybe have a step in between, whether that is playing in another league, but he has come straight from the Swedish league, a year of senior football into the Premier League and it’s a credit to him. He’s worked really hard at his game. At the beginning he was struggling to cope with the intensity and tempo, as you’d expect and we expected. A lot of our football and life in general is opportunity. He had an opportunity this year because of the situation we were in and he grabbed it with both hands. And even now, we’ve virtually got a full squad to pick from and he’s still being selected because he took the opportunity. I think there is a core group of young players here that hopefully we can build something from.”

Ange on the importance of our home support on Thursday

“Yeah, it’s really important and again guys that have travelled with us throughout Europe, whether this year or other years, you see the impact that has when you play in opposition stadiums when the supporter base really feels engaged with the club, with the team and with the occasion. It will be hugely important for us tomorrow night. Our fans in Frankfurt were outstanding and to be fair in Europe this year, all the European games, even the Frankfurt home game I thought it was a fantastic atmosphere and we are going to need it tomorrow night. Again, it’s a semi-final of a European competition, I am sure our supporters are excited, everyone at the club is excited and we want to make sure we get the best chance to perform at the best level so we can get through.”

Ange on what he learned from his Celtic side playing Bodo/Glimt a few years ago

“Like I said, same manager, similar style of play. When we played with Celtic, our season had got off to a slow start, but by that time we played some decent football, but I remember, because again we had the first game at home a bit like us, and their ability to play at a really good intensity, they weren’t fazed. You know, the atmosphere at Celtic Park is unbelievable, they weren’t fazed by that, they’d beaten Roma a couple of weeks before that and it really strikes you that I don’t think they’re going to be daunted by anything tomorrow that they face because they’ve been at Old Trafford, they’ve played at the Emirates, I think a couple of years ago. Like I said they’ve played some big clubs in Italy, they’ve played some big clubs in other countries and you see that they have this ability to not be fazed by that, and we’ve got to expect that tomorrow night. I don’t expect them to be overawed by the occasion, you know, sort of thinking ‘wow’. They’ve got a real capacity to be really strong in their mind about what they need to do and the away game is tricky because you’re playing on an artificial surface in difficult conditions. So I think there are still some real parallels there and having experienced it, I know that they’re going to be a really tough opponent.”

Ange on the players’ physical shape after Liverpool

“I think we’re in a good place from that point of view. Looking at the outputs of the players, I think we’ve got work into players who needed it. Others, we’ve had to manage, because with a season like ours, where guys like Romero and Van de Ven and Destiny, guys who’ve missed a lot of the season, it’s not just about getting them back, you’ve got to manage how you bring them back, how and when they play. Certainly all the guys we rested on the weekend – like Bentancur – all could have played – or like Pedro – on the weekend for sure. But it made sense for us to give them really good preparation. And the guys who played – Dom played 60, Madders played 45 – they’re in a good place physically absolutely. We’re going to need a big physical performance because again, Bodo work really hard as a team, but similarly to the Frankfurt games, I think the guys from a physical standpoint are in a good place to have a strong performance.”

Ange on whether a decisive win might be needed in Thursday’s first leg

“I think you try and do that anyway. I think playing at home in Europe for every club has its advantages and you want to try to take that advantage. As you said, Bodo away is a difficult challenge. But having said that, we played really well against Frankfurt at home, should have won by three or four. We ended up drawing, but the important thing was that we played really well and were dominant. That gave us confidence. Frankfurt away wasn’t easy, their record is just as compelling as Bodo’s. I think tomorrow night what’s really important is that we put in another dominant performance. Hopefully if we create as many chances, this time they go in rather than hitting the crossbar and so forth. But I don’t think you just go into tomorrow night thinking you’re going to kill off the tie then. I think semi-finals for the most part tend to be pretty tight and I expect that tomorrow night.”

Ange on the size and stature of Bodo

“I think Bodo’s there on merit. They beat Lazio, they beat Olympiacos, tough teams. They’re there because they’re a good football team. It doesn’t matter where you come from. I come from the other side of the world, where football is the fourth sport. I don’t underestimate anyone. You said we’re a big club, they’re a small club, it doesn’t matter. We’re two clubs in the semi-final of a European competition and they’ve earned the right to be there. They’ve done very well to get there and we’re going to treat them with the respect they deserve and at the same time, make sure that we go in there and give our best performance. They’ve been a real stable club, same manager, they’ve got a real clear identity in the way they play. As I said, I think they’ve created a real kind of resilience in the group, a mental resilience that irrespective of who they play with, whether that’s in the Norwegian league or in Champions League qualifiers, or Europa or Conference, they treat every opponent the same and they play at the same level. That’s why they’ve been a dangerous opponent for any team.

“That’s what I love about the game, that’s the beauty of football. Irrespective of where you come from, or the size of the place that you come from, if you’re ambitious and if you have a clear plan, especially in our sport, you can create unique opportunities and create fantastic moments. I think that’s what we love about the game, that’s what we love about football. There’s always been stories of clubs from smaller areas or small countries doing well in major competitions. That’s always existed.”

Ange on Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen

“He’s a good guy. I obviously met him a few years back and he has done really well. He has a clear identity of the way he wants his team to play, he has created a real strong culture at the club not just from a football perspective but from a mental perspective as well – you can see that, he’s done very well and I’m looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.”

Watch | Ange's pre-Bodo/Glimt press conference

Ahead of Thursday's seismic first leg of our UEFA Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, here is all you need to know about our Norwegian opponents.

A brief history

Over the last few years, Bodo/Glimt have burst onto the scene - not just in European football, but also in Norway.

While they have been making head room in Europe for a number of years now and are quickly becoming a recognisable name on the European scene having taken a number of scalps over the past few seasons, it is also only in recent years that they have made headway in Norway.

A side which has dipped in and out of the top flight over the last 20 years, despite having been formed almost 110 years ago in the middle of the First World War, it was only in 2020 that they first became Norwegian champions.

It might have taken them 104 years to accomplish that, but now they have made it a bit of a habit, winning four of the last five league titles in Norway.

Bodo in Europe

Bodo have a history in Europe that stretches back to the 1970s.

First in European competition in the 1976/77 campaign as they qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup, they played just one round, losing 3-0 to Napoli on aggregate.

They were tough beginnings but, since their revival and recent successes under Head Coach Kjetil Knutsen, they have seen great progress on the continent.

Having won just one proper tie in Europe prior to 2021, they reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League in 2021/22 before losing to eventual champions AS Roma. Along their route to that last eight exit, they had inflicted a 6-1 defeat on Jose Mourinho's Roma and had managed to get past Celtic - then managed by Ange Postecoglou.

In the past two seasons, they have reached the knockout play-off rounds of both the Conference League and the Europa League before their progress to the Europa League's last four this term - the first time theur have ever done so.

Bodo against English sides

To date, Bodo have faced just two English opponents in competitive matches - and they have yet to win any such meeting.

In action against English sides on just three occasions to date - a small sample size it must be noted - Bodo have lost each of those games.

First taking on an English side in Arsenal back in the 2022/23 season, the Norwegian side were drawn along side the Gunners in Europa League Group A and played them at home and away. They first lost the away match, going down 3-0 at the Emirates before they fell 1-0 at their Aspmyra Stadium.

They then faced Manchester United in this season's League Phase. Tasked with a trip to Old Trafford in November, the Norwegians fell 3-2 at the Theatre of Dreams, despite having held a 2-1 lead with 23 minutes played.

Bodo's run to the semi-finals

It has been a fairytale run for Bodo/Glimt to the semi-finals of the Europa League this season - but they have certainly deserved it.

While they are the only team outside of the top eight teams from the League Phase to make it through to the last four (they finished ninth in the League Phase), they have certainly warranted their place with some incredible results along the way.

Finishing on 14th points in the League Phase and with only goal difference seeing them finish outside of the top eight, it was a strong campaign for the Norwegians, especially as they secured victories over Porto, Braga and Besiktas.

However, it has been in the knockout stages where they have really made the headlines. Taking out FC Twente in the Play-off round, they then dispatched last year's Europa Conference League winners Olympiacos in the round of 16 before they squeezed past Italian giants Lazio in the last eight.

Interestingly, they have lost the away leg in each of their knockout games so far, but have won the home leg - and they have scored in each of their knockout games thus far.