As Celtic continue to celebrate in the aftermath of a major win at Tynecastle last night, European foes Bodo/Glimt have also taken part in their first pre-season match in Spain this afternoon.
The Norwegian champions are currently partaking in a warm-weather training camp with their league season currently in it’s off period. Therefore, to prepare for their February 17th date with Celtic in the Europa Conference League, 3 pre-season fixtures have been arranged against Dynamo Kyiv, CSKA Moscow, and AGF respectively.
The first of those matches has taken place today. A 1-1 stalemate between Bodo/Glimt and Kyiv marked an interesting return to action for Kjetil Knutsen’s men.
Glimt controlled much of the contest and created some big chances either side of the break. However, they had to come back from 1-0 down after losing a terrible goal directly from a corner. The ball was whipped in and it was far too simple for Vitinho to flick into the far corner.
In fairness to Bodo/Glimnt, they were moving the ball around with pace in the first half and always looked like netting an equaliser. With Ola Solbakken, linked strongly with a move away this winter, playing from the start, the Norwegians looked really lively in the final third with only profligate finishing costing a morale-boosting victory.
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Their equaliser also came from a corner with just over 5 minutes remaining before the break. After the ball was nodded high into the air, Victor Boniface had the simple job of nodding it home on the line with the Kyiv goalkeeper all over the place.
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The second 45 was ruined with your typical plethora of pre-season friendly changes. There were debuts for new signings Fredrik Sjovold and Brice Wembangomo as they we wait to see who makes the cut for their Europa squad.
There were some late half-chances for Bodo/Glimt, but they all came from outside the area with both sides really just looking for the full-time whistle come the end.
The match was screened live on YouTube by Dynamo Kyiv for those interested in getting a closer look at our foes. With the first-leg at Celtic Park taking place in just under 3 weeks, it’s good to see how they’re shaping up.
Certainly, the match felt every bit like the training game it was. It wasn’t played with great tempo and there wasn’t much aggression shown from either side. But it was clear that Bodo/Glimt had plenty of technical quality in the final third.
They’ll be hoping to get a bit sharper in the final third with their next training game coming against CSKA Moscow on February 3rd.
But the early signs are that Knutsen has recruited well and will have his side more than ready for a battle at Parkhead in several weeks time. An interesting 90 minutes in Alicante today for sure.