Arsenal VS Bodø/Glimt Football Match Score 2022
Arsenal welcomes Bodo Glimt to the Emirates Stadium in the Europa League this week. Mikel Arteta’s men are behind the eight ball in Europe’s second-tier competition. That is through no fault of their own. The Gunners’ clash with PSV was postponed, along with a slew of other matches, because of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Although the postponement was not on them, it leaves Arsenal with a mounting pile of matches in what is already a congested fixture schedule.
Arsenal has an outstanding record against Norwegian sides in continental competition. Out of six fixtures against Eliteserien opposition, they have won five and drawn one of them. They have, however, never faced Bodo Glimt. It’s been about a month since Arsenal opened their Europa League campaign with a 2-1 win over FC Zurich. Since then they’ve played twice, scored six goals, picked up six points, and only let in one goal. Several key players are back in the squad after injury issues, but Emile Smith Rowe has been ruled out for the rest of the calendar year. Arsenal now faces a new opponent in a home and away series this Thursday and next week.
Bodo Glimt has never faced English opposition before in UEFA competition. They have faced sides from the UK, however. They eliminated Celtic from the UEFA Conference League last season. The Yellow Horde also dumped Northern Irish side Linfield out of the Champions League in the qualifying phase this season. The fixtures are coming thick and fast, with the FIFA World Cup looming on the horizon. Squad rotation will become a common thread for all teams across the continent playing in UEFA competition. Arsenal will be no different.
Bodo Glimt are no slouches. The Norwegian side will fancy their chances against an Arsenal ‘B’ side. And if The Gunners don’t bring their ‘A’ game, Glimt will find them out. That is not likely. With a team full of players on the fringes of the squad, who will be desperate to prove that they deserve a chance, The Gunners will be hard to stop.
Bodø/Glimt, commonly referred to as Glimt in their native Norway, is the in midst of a historic spell for the club. Originally founded in 1916, Glimt won their first-ever Eliteserien league title in 2020. That put them into the UEFA Champions League for the first time where they eventually fell to AC Milan in the qualifying rounds. They returned again as the Norweigan champs the following season, but made their mark in the Europa League, beating Roma (group stage) and Celtic before falling to Roma in the Quarterfinals. This season they made it a step further to the Champions League Play-off Round before being eliminated. Like Arsenal, they beat Zurich 2-1 and have already drawn PSV. A new name visits the Emirates on Thursday, but one that should not be underestimated.
While I don’t think Arsenal should underestimate Bodø/Glimt, at home they should be able to control the match, even with the rotations. I expect Bodø/Glimt to put up more of a fight during the return leg, but given Arsenal’s depth and players available to bring on in the second half they should comfortably see this one out.
Having played a game fewer than their opponents Arsenal will bid to claim top spot in Europa League Group A on Thursday but will be well aware of the potential banana skin that Bodo/Glimt represent. The Norwegian champions stunned Roma with a 6-1 win in last year’s Europa Conference League and are unbeaten in matches with PSV Eindhoven and Zurich so far in the group stage. Arsenal will be their biggest test yet and the Gunners are flying high domestically and in Europe, where they won their group stage opener in Zurich thanks to goals from Marquinhos and Eddie Nketiah. Two wins from two and they will be well placed to reach the last 16 even with four games left to play. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
