Bodø/Glimt will play hosts to FC Prishtina of Kosovo in the UEFA Europa Conference League as the Norwegian outfit need to fight back from 2-1 if they are to make it to this competition’s inaugural year.
The Eliteserien side are second in the Norwegiann top flight and trail leaders Molde by eight points, but with a game in hand. It has been a great season for Eliteserien Bodø/Glimt.
Ikke sikkert noen ser dette oppi alt Messi-styret, men vi kan informere om at Botheim scoret det avgjørende målet på dødballtrening i dag 👊💛 pic.twitter.com/vm30WDalhp— FK Bodø/Glimt (@Glimt) August 11, 2021
Ikke sikkert noen ser dette oppi alt Messi-styret, men vi kan informere om at Botheim scoret det avgjørende målet på dødballtrening i dag 👊💛 pic.twitter.com/vm30WDalhp
However, they lost 5-2 on aggregate to Legia Warsaw in the Champions League qualifying rounds, and must now win on the night.
Thankfully for Bodø/Glimt, the away goals rule has been eliminated for all UEFA competitions now, meaning they won’t need to worry about a potential goal from Prishtina unsettling the balance of play, and they must simply win by a two-goal margin.
Back in the Eliteserien, the club also boasts the joint-best defence in Norway as they have only let in 15 goals from 14 games, which puts them level with Kristiansund and two goals less than the leaders, Molde.
Back in the first leg, Prishtina did edge Bodø/Glimt just about, but it was a close fixture. Otto John scored for the Kosovo side, but it was Bodø/Glimt's defender, Marius Lode, who scored an own goal to give them a narrow lead heading over to Norway.
This did extend Prishtina's run to four games without a clean sheet, but at the same time, the club have now seen more than 2.5 goals in four out of their first five fixtures this campaign.
As of now, their league is yet to start but they are the reigning champions of the Superleague of Kosovo, having edged past Drita by just two points. The club also had the best defence in the division last time out, with only 27 goals conceded from 36 games.
It’s a tough game to call this one as nothing really separated them back in Kosovo during the first leg, and in fact, it was merely just an own goal that made the difference and handed Prishtina the 2-1 lead heading into the game.
However, with no away goal, one goal won’t do it for Bodø/Glimt and they must now win by a two-goal margin, which ultimately means that should the away side score, it’s likely game over for the Norwegian outfit in Europe this season.