Football
Bodø/Glimt Poised for Historic UCL Qualification: Former Star Dominic Chatto Backs Team to Surpass Expectations
Bodø/Glimt is on the verge of a historic Champions League qualification, with former star Dominic Chatto confident they can surpass expectations. Discover how the team is preparing for the next challenge.
Image Credits: Avisa Nordland
Bodø/Glimt, defending champions of the Norwegian first division are on the cusp of achieving something quite remarkable, and their former ace Dominic Chatto has tipped them to even surprise themselves and hit new heights when they get in the UEFA Champions League competition later this season.
Bodø inched closer to a first ever Champions League qualification after dispatching Polish opponents Jagiellonia Białystok 4-1 on Tuesday, securing a 5-1 aggregate victory in the process to leave themselves one tie away from getting in the hat when the draw for the prestigious competition is rolled out for the 2024/25 campaign.
At the centre of it all is the pair of Kasper Høgh, who was on song last time out, finishing with aplomb from inside the box to close the scoring as well as Jenson Hauge who set up two of the goals on the night in the resounding victory at the Aspmyra Stadium.
Thus, Dominic feels manager Kjetil Knutsen is very well equipped with the calibre of talent he has at his disposal to take the Champions League by storm. Now, the the Yellow Horde will have to pass the test of Crvena zvezda in their next and final round of qualifiers, and their former midfielder believes they have all it takes to scale through.
Bodø can surprise themselves
Dominic is impressed with the showings from his former side and is tipping them to go on and create their own story in the competition, even up against Crvena in their bid to reach the Champions League for the first time.
This team is very well-prepared and they’re no strangers to these kinds of games.
"Take a look at the way they’re playing [the 4-1 win] and you can tell they did it exceptionally well, and I’m confident they’ll go through. The likes of Hauge, Høgh, these guys made life very difficult for their opponents and you can see that. Maybe up against their next opponents, not many people will give them a chance, but they can go on and outdo not just themselves, but people's expectations. They're very well equipped to do it."
Kasper Høgh: A shining light and one to watch out for
One of the shining lights for this Bodø side, Høgh has continued to impress since joining the club from Stabæk in January and is now spearheading their bid to play European football at the highest level.
The Dane has contributed to no less than six goals (four goals, two assists) in his last five games, since returning from injury last month — a pointer to the fact he makes the team tick when he's playing.
However, Dominic who is not oblivious of the challenge he would face up against better drilled and stiffer defences says the striker would need to adapt.
"If they go on to advance, he [Høgh] will face tougher, more experienced defences, so he’ll need to adapt to the higher level of the competition."
"If he can, he could make a real impact. but his current form suggests he could still be a threat. His physicality and goal-scoring form will be key."
Since he broke loose from the shackles of long hours huddled up in a hot classroom learning Mandarin Chinese and Pinyin at the famous Confucius Institute, UNIZIK, Emmanuel Chinaza has embraced sports and football in particular, and it helped that he grew up in the football-crazy city of Anambra.