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Mikel Arteta is more than convinced that Arsenal will have to be at their best to secure a result against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday night.
THE LOWDOWN: TEAM ON THE RISE
Despite being relatively ‘unknown’ on the European scene, Bodo made an introduction about themselves last season, after a record 6-1 thrashing of Roma in the Europa Conference League. It was the first time a legendary manager like Mourinho had seen his side concede that much in a single game.
The Norwegian giant went on to reach the quarter-finals of that competition and have also made a decent start to their Europa League campaign, drawing 1-1 against PSV in Eindhoven before beating FC Zurich at home, meaning they are yet to taste defeat.
Manager Kjetil Knutson has also led the side to consecutive Norwegian league titles, so an incredibly-impressed Arteta knows what to expect when the team from the Arctic Circle make the trip to north London.
THE LATEST: ARTETA’S PRAISE TO OPPOSITION SIDE
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: “We’ve done our homework. We have made the players aware of the team that we are facing , the history and what they’ve done in the last few years.
“There are a few really good players and it’s a really good coach as well, and they have a clear identity with how they play. You can see straight away what they are trying to do and again I’ve been impressed with them.”
Arteta also admitted that he asked for the opinion of captain Martin Odegaard, who is well familar with the Norwegian outfit and admits that the opposition cannot be taken for granted.
“We have Martin in the squad who knows them really well,” Mikel added. “He’s done his homework in the dressing room to [ensure the squad] understands that tomorrow is going to be a tough game.
“We just spoke about what I saw. I will do the same with the staff, and he was really clear. He said exactly the same opinion and that tomorrow will be a really tough match.”
THE VERDICT: MUST-WIN
A win on Thursday will see Arsenal leapfrog the Norwegian side into top spot, and with the group winners automatically proceeding into the round of 16, Arteta is keen to win as many early group games as possible to give his side the best opportunity to progress deep into the tournament.
Ahead of another defining clash against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday, a win here will give the Gunners the proper morale to claim a strong result, like they did in the 3-1 victory over Tottenham.
