Confident champions of Norway ready to compete at Man Utd

Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt flew into Manchester on Wednesday before the Europa League match with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

While Glimt are currently establishing themselves as Norway's top team, that has not always been the case.

Sporting director Havard Sakariassen used to be a player at the club and he remembered a period where the squad had to wash their own kit.

"If you go back to the year in 2009-2011, the club was struggling really hard financially," he said.

"I had my last season in 2011 as a player. In mid-season that year I quit. I was old and not any good. I left the changing room and went upstairs.

"At that time the club was in such bad conditions that we didn't have a kit manager. We washed our training gear at home and came to training already dressed. That was the situation at Bodo/Glimt in 2011.

"We had one person working for the A team that autumn. That was me. I was the kit man."

Even though the Norwegian champions accept they can never come close to matching the financial muscle Premier League clubs receive, they do not travel to Manchester without belief of causing a shock.

"We don't have the resources you see at top clubs in England," Sakariassen added. "We will never, ever be able to compete with that.

"But we truly believe in development and that we can get the potential out of the players we have here. If we can do that, as individuals and as a team, it is huge. Then you can make a great team and it goes a long way.

"Maybe I am naive. But in a single match like on Thursday, I think we will be able to compete against Manchester United and have a great performance at Old Trafford."