- Written by Ståle Heiberg-Andersen.
The match will be played at De Adelaarshorst on Thursday, July 25, at 18:30, and will be broadcast on VG+.
Almost a year has passed since the magical European nights last year. We eliminated Portuguese Auroca and drew against AZ Alkmaar over two matches before they ultimately came out on top in a penalty shootout. After achieving qualification for the Conference League with our silver placement in the Eliteserien last year, we now have another opportunity, and new unforgettable moments can be created.
We enter the second qualifying round of the Conference League, where we will face Go Ahead Eagles. We meet them first away, before the aggregate match will be decided at home next week. This constitutes round two of the qualification for the group stage in the Conference League. If we progress against Go Ahead Eagles, we will face Icelandic or Scottish opposition in the third round. If we come out victorious from there, we will play in the play-off for the Conference League.
This is the team we meet
After a closely contested match against AZ Alkmaar in the same tournament last year, we are now faced with Dutch opposition again. Go Ahead Eagles was founded in 1902 and comes from the city of Deventer in eastern Netherlands. Historically, they have not had a habit of reaching high placements in the Eredivisie, but after a strong season last year, they qualified for European play for the first time since 2015.
Eredivisie opposition away will undoubtedly provide us with tough working conditions, but we demonstrated last year that we can keep pace with Dutch opponents. It is also worth noting that Go Ahead Eagles have lost their head coach after their season came to an end in May. René Hake, who led the team to European play, has now joined the coaching staff of Manchester United.
Go Ahead Eagles have also recently sold their goal-scoring midfielder Willum Thór Willumsson to English football, after he has been a key player for them for the past three seasons. Another important point is that our opponents have not played a competitive match in two months, while we are in the middle of our season and in match form.
Injuries and suspensions
Felix Horn Myhre was sent off against AZ Alkmaar last year, and his suspension carries over to this year. Therefore, he will miss the away match against Go Ahead Eagles. Niklas Jensen Wassberg, Jonas Torsvik, Moonga Simba, Ole Didrik Blomberg, Thore Pedersen, and Ruben Kristiansen have been out with injuries. Blomberg, Kristiansen, and Pedersen are in the squad that is in place in the Netherlands. We will find out if any of them have managed to be fit for the match squad when the team selection for the game is announced on Thursday at 17:15.