After just one of their two matches, Jagiellonia Bialystok are assured of playing in the league stage of the European Cups in the autumn. Thanks to the elimination of Lithuanian FK Panevėžys, Jagiellonia have secured participation in the league stage of the Conference League. Adrian Semenets’ team is still in the Champions League, where they will play against Norwegian Bodø/Glimt in the third qualifying round. – I think we can only gain something in this area, and certainly not lose anything. We want to fight with every opponent to advance to the next round. I don’t see much pressure on us, Semenets said at the pre-match press conference.
Bodo/Glimt will play the Polish national team for the third time in history. In the 21/22 season, Legia Warsaw beat the Norwegians 5-2 on aggregate in the first round of the Champions League. In the 22/23 season, Bodo/Glimt faced Lech Poznań in the 1/16 finals of the Europa Conference League. Lech won 1-0, with the only goal of the two matches scored by Mikael Isak.
– The fans in Norway don’t know much about Jagiellonia and don’t realise how strong the team is. They expect to win both games. If Jagiellonia can keep the ball, Bodø players will be disappointed. The Norwegian champions don’t really like to be allowed to play their game. This is not a team that likes to chase the ball, Trond Olsen, a former Bodø/Glimt player and now a pundit for Avisa Nordland TV, told us.
What are the words about Jagiellonia Bialystok. “Maybe a better team than Ajax”
Patrick Berg decided to give an interesting opinion on Jagiellonia. The midfielder compared the Polish champions Bodo/Glimt to… Ajax Amsterdam. – I would say that this team is probably better than Ajax in attack. In that respect, this will be the toughest challenge we face this year. This is a good team, compared to many of our previous rivals in Europe, a well-coordinated team. We usually play against opponents who excel individually, not as a team. We have a real test ahead of us – Berg said in an interview with Avisa Nordland (translation: Transfer.info).
Bodo/Glimt had the chance to compete with Ajax in the 1/16 finals of the Europa Conference League. In the Netherlands they drew 2:2, while in Norway Ajax won 2:1 and qualified for the 1/8 finals. It is worth noting that the loser of the first leg between Jagiellonia and Bodo will play in the Europa League play-off round against the winner of the Panathinaikos-Ajax Amsterdam duo. In turn, Jagiellonia or Bodo’s opponent in the Champions League qualifiers will be Red Star Belgrade.
Jagiellonia is a team that may not have the biggest budget or the best players in the Ekstraklasa, but they are the best team. They are a very innovative team. Jagiellonia is an attacking team, and I really like their style of play. They work very well within the structure, find space, and often work behind their opponents. “In my opinion, we now have a typical 50/50 situation,” said Bodo/Glimt coach Ketil Knutsen.
Live text coverage of the Jagiellonia Białystok – Bodo/Glimt match on Wednesday from 20:45 on Sport.pl, as well as in the Sport.pl LIVE mobile app.
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