Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen has told of how he expects a tough game against a continuously improving Celtic side when the two face each other in the Europa Conference League in late February – and having already been to Celtic Park, has praised the atmosphere that awaits him at Paradise.
Knutsen took Bodo/Glimt to their first ever Norwegian national title in 2020, having become manager in 2018. In fact, he also took them to their first European adventure since 2004/05 where they only missed out on the Europa League group stages with a narrow 3-2 loss at the San Siro against AC Milan.
Many expected him to do inevitably worse the season after, but he took the Norwegian side to the group stages of the Europa Conference League and won another title for the second season in a row – and bagged a 2-2 draw away at Roma before an incredible 6-1 win at home in their most famous victory ever.
Yet with Celtic around the corner, the 53-year-old has spoken of the challenge that his side face – and the awe that he felt when visiting Celtic Park a few years ago.
“We have sold four players who all played for the national team, so it’s a new team I have and we need time, he told the Scottish Sun.
Hopefully, we can be competitive against Celtic, but it’s only three weeks until the game and it will be very difficult.
We really need to use the time now to work hard. Every day is important for us.
It’s a new situation for us because we are at the start of pre-season — and we’ve never played a team like Celtic in this time.
That’s the way it is though and for us to have a game against a club like Celtic is perfect in terms of preparation for the new league season in April.
But how competitive we will be in the games, I don’t know. They are a big club and a good team.
They like to play attacking football and have many good players, just like Dynamo Kiev do in fact.
I have been watching the Celtic games, but I will watch more before we play them.”
It would be quite the achievement for the club from the Arctic Circle to advance past Celtic given the circumstances – but with the results they have had in the past, you can never say never…
