Ahead of the Europa Conference League knockout tie against Bodo/Gimt at Celtic Park tonight, ex-footballer David Weatherston has given his insight into what is to be expected from Kjetil Knutsen’s side. Weatherston is a former pro who spent considerable time in the Norwegian league as a player and now resides in the Nordic region.
Celtic and Ange Postecoglou were unfortunate to miss out on the Europa League knockouts after one hell of a showing in the group stage. Drawn together with the might of Germans Bayer Leverkusen and Manuel Pellegrini’s slick Spanish outfit, Real Betis, the Hoops put on a show in just about every game they played, narrowly missing out finishing on a respectable nine points in the end up.
Now having dropped into Europe’s third-tier competition in it’s inaugural launch, Celtic face a tough tie with a similarly swashbuckling side in Bodo/Glimt. Bodo received racaus praise after hammering Josè Mourinho’s Roma in the group stage and also drawing over in Italy in the return leg of the match-up. This has led to some of the Scandanavian club’s top stars being poached in their pre-season which started just before Christmas.
However, they have dipped back into the market just as they have done before, a fact which Weatherston alludes to in his interview with BBC Sport Scotland. He said: “They had to rebuild a little bit for last year and again they won the league despite losing their front three from the previous year. They brought in some new names and won the league again, and again this winter they’ve lost a whole host of names. So it’s just a constant rebuild. But the process is that the system is the most important thing.”
In speaking of Glimt and their emphasis on system as opposed to personel, he said: “They play a pretty standard 4-3-3, one holding midfielder. A couple of indrelopers here in Norway. It’s basically inside midfielders that kind of run out inbetween full-backs and central defenders. Two wingers playing wide, and a central striker. They press pretty high, they also counter-attack super quick.”
Although the game is set to be a classic with both teams who really want to attack and put on a show of purist football, Weatherston reckons the first-leg being at Parkhead could surprisingly be advantageous for Ange and his players. He added: “I think it will be difficult for them. If it was the other way round and Celtic were coming to Bodo first, there’d be snowbanks around the pitch. It would be windy, cold, I think they might have got a bit of a shock. But I think being at Celtic Park first gives them a big advantage.”
With the current weather conditions mirroring the climate in Bodo, I don’t think the advantage will be too much for the Hoops. The game promises to be a good pairing, with both managers having a philosophy on the game that is quite aligned. There is also the desire to win which Ange has not shied away from in regards to prioritising one competition over another. No doubt Kjetil Knutsen will be thinking the same. A chance to make history by becoming the first team to put their hands on a European trophy is by no means a low achievement. Both teams will be at it from the start tonight and we all can’t wait!
Watch David Weatherston’s BBC Sport Scotland interview below…
What do Celtic fans need to know about Bodo/Glimt?
Norway-based former Scottish footballer @dweatherston11 gives some insight ahead of the sides meeting in the Europa Conference League ⚽️⤵️ pic.twitter.com/00K0uybC66
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) February 17, 2022
