The Arctic Circle giant-killers out to upset Postecoglou again

This video can not be played 'Spurs are afraid and they should be' Bodo fans confident in the Arctic Such is the disparity between Bodo/Glimt and Tottenham that the entire 55,000 population of the Norwegian team's town could fit inside the Premier League side's stadium. But the two sides meet as equals on Thursday looking to take a closer step towards the Europa League final. With supporters famed for carrying giant yellow toothbrushes to games, Bodo/Glimt have swept aside bigger teams throughout Europe to join Spurs, Manchester United and Athletic Club in the last four. They are the first Norwegian side to reach a men's semi-final in a European competition, while they have won eight of their last 10 two-legged ties. It is an impressive achievement for a team who, less than a decade ago, were just happy to be out of the Norwegian second division. And Bodo/Glimt will back themselves to continue making more history given their record as giant-killers, coupled with having a manager who has got the better of Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou before. Bodo is a fishing town located north of the Arctic Circle Of the four teams left in the Europa League's last four, Bodo/Glimt are lesser known and, arguably, the more intriguing. Based in the small fishing town of Bodo, 200km north of the Arctic Circle, the nearest city is a 10-hour drive away. Incredibly isolated, their remote location has arguably helped forge a community bond between the residents. The team's players can often be seen out for walks with their family or eating in the local restaurants. "It is like they are a big family," Chris Shaul, who has followed the team since moving from England to Bodo around eight years ago, told BBC World Service. "They are friends. A lot of the players have grown up here and they go and socialise together." As has often been the case with underdogs, a strong bond between the team and their fans can go a long way to producing results on the pitch - and Bodo/Glimt have certainly done that in recent years. Jose Mourinho will no doubt still have nightmares of the time Bodo/Glimt handed him the joint-biggest defeat of his distinguished managerial career when his then-Roma side lost 6-1 in Norway four years ago in a Europa Conference League tie. It was the first time a Mourinho side had conceded six or more goals in a single game - in what was the 1,008th match of his coaching career - and matched a 5-0 loss to Barcelona while in charge of Real Madrid. This season, too, Bodo/Glimt have produced some eye-catching results, seeing off Porto, Twente, Olympiakos and Lazio on their way to the semi-finals. Having not been allowed to gain promotion to Norway's top division until 1972 alongside other northern-based teams due to existing rules, Bodo/Glimt reached the top flight in 1976. But their story really gathered pace 15 years ago when the club almost went bankrupt. "Economically we were a mess for years before this success," recalled Thomas Solberg, of the Bodo/Glimt supporters group. "We were bankrupt in 2010, but the club was saved. We were then an up-and-down club between the second division and the top flight, but in 2017 we hired our current manager." That key appointment was Kjetil Knutsen, a Bergen-born coach who had enjoyed modest success previously with smaller clubs in Norway. He initially arrived as assistant to Aasmund Bjorkan, before replacing him the following year. Initially it did not look like being a successful appointment. "They were thinking about sacking Knutsen but they didn't have the money to do it," Norway international and former Blackburn Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen told BBC Sport. "So they stuck with him instead and they started liking his ideas. They got the momentum, things started to roll and they got results." Kjetil Knutsen has been manager of Bodo/Glimt since 2018 Knutsen's ideas involved creating an identity-based, intense possession-based game with purpose. "Dominating doesn't just mean scoring but also having the possession of the ball and dictating the rules of the game," said the 56-year-old previously. "We want to create a team identity that encompasses everyone; players, staff, managers, fans. We must confront ourselves to be able to create this 'Bodo model'." Part of that 'Bodo model' was to also change the mentality of the players. They had been used to being a team that would bounce around the top two divisions without enjoying any real success. But around the time Knutsen was appointed, the club also brought in Bjorn Mannsverk. A former fighter pilot, he became a performance and mentality coach. Mannsverk had been a Royal Norwegian Air Force squadron leader with deployments to Afghanistan and Libya, meaning he had plenty of experience of developing mental resilience. Midfielder Ulrik Saltnes, who has been a part of Bodo/Glimt's transformation since the beginning, used to suffer stomach problems and considered retiring, while vice-captain Patrick Berg was ready to leave a club his grandfather, father and two uncles played for. Both found their mentality transformed by working with Mannsverk. Saltnes, who previously described their style of play as "kamikaze", said: "I don't think it would be possible to play like that without Bjorn and the mental work we do." Rather than trudging off individually after conceding goals like before, Bodo/Glimt's players would gather in a huddle. It was what Mannsverk called the "Bodo/Glimt Ring", to discuss what happened and maintain their composure and togetherness. This was a banner displayed at Celtic before they were stunned by Bodo/Glimt in 2022 With Mannsverk's work on mentality and Knutsen's coaching methods, Bodo/Glimt became a team transformed. After narrowly avoiding relegation in 2018 they would go on to win their domestic league title in 2020 for the first time, before triumphing again in three of the next four seasons. Those championship successes also earned them a place in Europe, where their hope was not to be just happy to be there, but to actually compete. In 2022 they took part in the Europa Conference League, where they faced a Celtic side managed by current Spurs boss Postecoglou. Not only did Bodo/Glimt shock the Scottish giants in their knockout round play-off tie, but thumped them 5-1 on aggregate, winning the first leg 3-1 and the second 2-0 to reach the last 16. "Knutsen plays attacking football," added Pedersen. "They like to press high, and play similar to Tottenham. "Knutsen demands a lot from the players, a very nice guy, but the group is very strong. "They are a very fit team and very well trained. They know what they have to do and Tottenham are going to have a very hard game." Having been humbled by Bodo/Glimt before, Postecoglou said Spurs will not take them lightly. "The are a good football team," said the Australian. "It doesn't matter where you come from. I come from the other side of the world where football is the fourth sport, so I don't underestimate anyone. "You say they are a small club and we are big club, it doesn't matter. We are two clubs in the semi-final of a European competition and they have earned the right to be there. "They have done very well to get there and we are going to treat them with the respect they deserve." The pitch at Bodo/Glimt's 8,000 capacity Aspmyra Stadion can often be covered in snow before games Bodo/Glimt will be hoping to repeat history by condemning Postecoglou to another home defeat in Europe. However, they will want to return to Norway still in the tie, knowing they could use the conditions on home soil to their advantage. Their northerly location means opposition teams can face wind and snow conditions as well as a talented, determined side. "I don't think we are the most sexy team to meet," Bodo/Glimt defender Jostein Gundersen told BBC World Service. "We don't have the biggest stadium, it is cold and windy and we have the artificial grass. "It is not a problem for us if it is a little snowy and cold, but hopefully it can scare the opposition a bit."