Outsiders Bodø/Glimt overcome the odds on Champions League adventure | OneFootball

With due respect for the difficult task ahead in Dortmund, Fredrik Sjøvold is full of excitement: “It will be a great experience to play here. We are looking forward to it and are very excited,” says the midfielder. The unusually large crowd by Norwegian standards is more of an incentive than a burden for him: “We will try to play our game. No matter how many fans there are.”

Coach Kjetil Knutsen is approaching the match against the sixth-placed team with a similarly positive attitude: “We’ve had a long journey and have earned our stripes by qualifying for the Champions League. That’s why every game means a lot to us.” BVB would be well advised to prepare for a strong and highly motivated team. “If we want to be competitive, we have to run a lot. Otherwise, we don’t stand a chance against the best teams,” says Knutsen.

The coach attested to BVB’s “top-top quality”: “We have spent a lot of time figuring out how to counter Dortmund’s individual quality and compact shape. On Wednesday, we’ll see if we can keep up at this level.” He had special praise for Dortmund full-back and compatriot Julian Ryerson: “He has a big heart and is a great player who inspires us. He’ll be very motivated.”

After five games with only two points, Bodø/Glimt are in 32nd place. A defeat in Dortmund would make their chances of progressing very slight, as they still have a home game against Manchester City and a trip to Atlético Madrid to come. Nevertheless, with their first-ever participation in the Champions League group stage, a football fairy tale has come true for the team from northern Norway. They had previously failed three times in the qualifiers. Ever since their spectacular quarter-final victory over Lazio in last season's Europa League, which saw a Norwegian club reach the semi-finals of a European competition for the first time, the innovative club have enjoyed a stellar reputation far beyond their country’s borders.

FK Bodø/Glimt, who were threatened with insolvency in 2010, have experienced a miraculous rise after being relegated from Norway’s top tier at the end of the 2016 season. Accompanied by a fundamental change in mentality and changes at the management level, the club managed to bounce back immediately. Four championship titles in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 were the reward for the club’s courageous decision to focus more on young, local talent. Eight players from the current squad come from the club’s own academy. The best-known player in Germany is probably striker Jens Petter Hauge, who played for Eintracht Frankfurt between 2021 and 2025 and previously for AC Milan, but whose participation on Wednesday is doubtful due to illness.

“A showcase project for many others”

Given the positive overall development, it is not too painful that this year’s championship title went to their rivals from Stavanger, who were just one point ahead, a few days ago. Coach Knutsen is considered the architect of this success. Since taking office in January 2018, the 57-year-old football coach has focused on a modern, offensive style of play with intense pressing and a high willingness to run. In addition, mental coach Bjørn Mannsverk, a former fighter jet pilot, reinforces the team’s confident and passionate attitude.

Although Bodø/Glimt have gone without a win in their five Champions League matches to date, against Slavia Prague (2-2), Tottenham Hotspur (2-2), Galatasaray (a 3-1 loss), Monaco (a 1-0 loss) and Juventus (a 3-2 loss), they have delivered all-round respectable performances in their debut season. This is attested by the statistics: they've had 57% possession and 86% pass accuracy. That is why Nico Kovac warns against underestimating the Norwegians: “They haven’t picked up enough points, but have always been close” (Preview.).

Bodø/Glimt are making their 12th appearance in a European club competition (facts). In their only previous encounter with a German opponent, the club lost 5-0 (H) and 1-1 (A) to Werder Bremen in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 1999/2000. BVB coach Kovac makes no secret of his respect for the upward trend in northern Europe: “Norwegian football has developed tremendously in recent years. What is happening there is really great and a showcase project for many others.”