Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt have enjoyed a dramatic rise into European football over the last seven years, with their journey set to hit its latest milestone when they face Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.

The club are experienced considerable success in recent years, winning the Eliteserien four times since 2020 and advancing to the Europa League semi-finals in the 2024/25 season.

Bodo/Glimt qualified for this season's Champions League and are getting prepared to face one of their toughest challenges yet in the form of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

As part of an exclusive round table discussion, Bodo/Glimt captain Patrick Berg offered his thoughts on the upcoming European clash. "We have some great experiences, especially in the last few years as a club," he said.

"Now, at the biggest stage, in the Champions League, I would rank this as our number one, maybe next to our semi-final with Tottenham.

"Meeting Pep Guardiola and his team, what they have achieved over the last few seasons is incredible.

"So to be able to go up against them and to see where we are, in terms of the highest level, I think that's going to be our biggest challenge."

Attacking football in Europe

Bodo/Glimt have developed a remarkable attacking style of football in their domestic league, consistently breaking goalscoring records under manager Kjetil Knutsen.

Back in 2020, the Norwegian side netted a staggering 103 goals in just 30 matches en route to their first-ever title - an Eliteserien record still to this day.

They also just finished the 2025 campaign with 85 league goals despite coming second in the table, again the most in the entire division.

That sort of form is something Berg admitted is tricky to carry over into European football. "We like to identify as a team that plays offensive football, we love to attack," he said.

"That also goes when we play European games, but of course, the level is much higher, especially in the Champions League.

"It takes more for us to be able to create chances and score goals, and it takes less from the opponent to create chances because they have world-class players in every position.

"It's harder to score goals in the Champions League. We still have two games left, and hopefully we will see improvements."

Reuniting with Haaland

Bodo/Glimt will face one of Norway's greatest players, Erling Haaland, when they meet Manchester City in the Champions League. The striker has grown to world stardom in recent years, and his rise has coincided with a boost for Norwegian football in general.

Haaland and Berg are teammates for the Norway national team, who have qualified for a World Cup for the first time since 1998. "He's (Haaland) a great character. I think for us as a nation, and as a national team, he has been incredible," Berg admitted.

"I think it's perfect, the way he's performing his role, because he's a big role model for every Norwegian football player. He has shown everybody from Norway that it's possible to become one of the best players."

Before the World Cup this summer, though, the duo will meet on opposite sides of the pitch in the Champions League. The match will see Haaland return to play in Norway for the first time since qualifying for the 2026 showpiece event - a moment Berg is looking forward to.

"I've played a lot of games with him and one or two times against him, so it's going to be fun to face him again.

"I would say he's one of the best players in the world and has had a great season both for the national team and Man City, so it's going to be fun to see him."

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Patrick Berg

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