Tottenham Hotspur are set to play against Bodo/Glimt on plastic pitch in the second leg of the Europa League semi-final
Tottenham Hotspur’s season is on a knife edge as they head to Norway bidding to book their trip to Bilbao in Spain later this month for the Europa League final.
Ange Postecoglou’s side take a 3-1 lead into the semi-final second leg, which will be played on the artificial surface at the Aspmyra Stadion. Spurs have been absolutely abysmal on the road this season, winning just twice in 10 games across all competitions.
Interestingly, one of those victories was the 1-0 quarter-final success in Eintracht Frankfurt, thanks to a first-half penalty from club-record signing Dominic Solanke. The Lilywhites’ hosts on Thursday, Bodo/Glimt have carved out a reputation for being formidable opponents on plastic pitches at home. In the chilly nights, they have netted 15 goals in their last five home matches in Europe.
The Norwegian outfit have serious home advantage, not only will Ange Postecoglou’s boys have to play in freezing temperature on Thursday night, they will have to play on artificial pitch.
Tom Barclay has been at the Aspmyra Stadion ahead of this game, and, speaking on his YouTube channel, the Sun journalist shared what he has noticed about the distinctive surface after watching it up from close. According to Tom Barclay, the pitch looks like a 4G surface where the ball moves very quickly.
“I thought I’d do a quick video right next to this plastic pitch we’ve heard so much about going into this game,” Barclay provided the insight from the touchline.
“It’s the pitch where the likes of Lazio, FC Twente, Porto and Olympiacos have all struggled this season.
“It looks pretty much similar to the same average 4G pitches you might play on at home in your local Power League.
“The ball moves very quickly, quicker than a normal pitch, that’s something Spurs will have to deal with.”
It is definitely going to be a challenge for the Tottenham players against Bodo/Glimt on the artificial pitch. Teams such as Lazio, Porto, Olympiacos and FC Twente all struggled to acclimatise themselves on this surface when playing the home side this season.
For Spurs, this is not the first time they will play on a plastic pitch. Ange’s boys came up against National League side FC Tamworth in the FA Cup third round, and it took them 120 minutes to beat them despite the gaffer fielding a strong side. This speak volumes about the challenge the North Londoners are set to face on Thursday, and the home fans are certain to make life difficult for our players with their vociferous support.
It will certainly be interesting to see Ange and his coaching staff’s plan to beat Bodo/Glimt on the testing plastic surface, with ex-Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas backing the team to score a goal and win the contest.
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