Manchester United opposition preview: Who are Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt?

Ruben Amorim spoke of the importance of taking three points in his first home match as Manchester United manager on Thursday night, when the Red Devils take on Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.

With United sitting 15th in the 36-team table, they really can’t afford any major slip-ups at Old Trafford and a victory could suddenly bring them within contention of securing an automatic qualification place.

But, it’s fair to say supporters may not be totally clued up on Bodo/Glimt, a relatively new name in European football circles. Given it’s United’s first-ever meeting with the club, we’ve rounded up all the key information about Thursday’s opponents ahead of the game.

Key club info

Bodo/Glimt are actually one of the most northern clubs in Europan football and one of just a handful located above the Arctic Circle. It means daylight is pretty limited at this time of year, but visitors are likely to spot the aurora borealis overhead.

The club’s name comes from the town where they’re based (Bodo), while Glimt translates as ‘flash’. Bodo has around 55,000 inhabitants and with an estimated 6,500 travelling to Manchester this week, that equates to around 12 percent of the town’s population who have made the journey.

Those supporters are nicknamed the ‘fish hippies’ given Skrei cod fishing is prominent in the area, while toothbrushes are an odd symbol which has been adapted by the club. A yellow toothbrush used to be held aloft in the home end to coordinate fan chants which became an unofficial logo, with Bodo/Glimt-branded toothbrushes now available to purchase across Norway. The club even used to gift a yellow toothbrush to visiting teams.

Recent success

Historically not one of Norway’s biggest clubs, Bodo/Glimt have won three of the last four national titles and will wrap up another top-flight triumph if they beat Lillestrom in the final game of the 2024 season this weekend.

This is also the fourth season in a row the club have competed in a European competition, and their most memorable game came when they beat Jose Mourinho’s Roma 6-1 in the 2021/22 Conference League quarter-finals first leg, although after a 4-0 loss in the return fixture were eliminated from the competition.

This season, Bodo/Glimt sit above United in the Europa League group with seven points from four matches, which was achieved thanks to wins over Porto and Braga.

Notable players

Norway international Patrick Berg is the most high-profile player in the Bodo/Glimt squad and played in five of his country’s six Nations League games over the last few months. Jens Petter Hauge has also earned 11 Norwegian caps. Championship fans might recognise ex-Hull City man Omar Elabdellaoui, while Philip Zinckernagel has played for Watford and Nottingham Forest.

Victor Boniface, who scored 14 Bundlesliga goals as Bayer Leverkusen won the title last season, is among Bodo/Glimt’s most famous former players.