Europa League LIVE: Ange’s Spurs head north of the Arctic Circle to chase final berth

Ange Postecoglou has claimed that “Spurs does crazy things to people” after Arsène Wenger said that Tottenham Hotspur should not qualify for the Champions League if they win the Europa League.

Tottenham hold a 3-1 lead heading into Thursday night’s semi-final second leg against Bodo/Glimt in Norway, and Postecoglou’s team are on course to face Manchester United in an all-English final, with the winners qualifying for the Champions League.

The fact Tottenham are 16th in the Premier League table, one place below United, has sparked debate over the merits of the Europa League winners taking a Champions League place.

Asked if the Europa League winners should qualify for the Champions League, former Arsenal manager Wenger, now Fifa’s chief of global football development, said: “No – they should qualify automatically for the Europa League again, but not necessarily for the Champions League.

“Especially when you’re in the Premier League, where already five teams qualify. I think it’s something [for Uefa] to think about and to review.

“On the other hand, people will tell you that to keep the Europa League focused, interesting and motivated you need to give them that prize [of qualifying for the Champions League].”

Postecoglou, the Tottenham head coach, was asked about Wenger’s comments and said: “Well, I mean that’s a debate that’s been raging for years, like at least the last eight days! I’ve said it before, mate, Spurs does crazy things to people. It does, it does. You put the club into any sentence or any issue, and invariably they all come out and try to diminish as much as they can.

“Last year, fifth didn’t get you into the Champions League, this year it does. What does that mean? There are competition rules and the rules say that the winner goes into [the Champions League] and it’s not the first year, and there isn’t an asterisk against it that you have to do something else as well.

“But it’s Spurs, mate, they love it. They love it. Oh, they love it, you love it, don’t you?”

Asked whether he thought Wenger’s association with Arsenal may influence his opinion, Postecoglou said: “I don’t want to go down that road because I’ve got a great respect for Arsène. He’s one of the legends of the game, but it does crazy things to people, mate, I love it. I love it, bring it on. It’s going to upset people, so that makes me happy.”

Should Tottenham or United win the Europa League, they would be in line to set the record for the lowest-placed team in an English league season to qualify for Europe’s biggest cup competition.

That is still currently the 1981-82 Aston Villa team, who finished 11th in the First Division that season but played in the European Cup the following campaign as the defending champions.

Sevilla finished 12th in La Liga in the 2022-23 season, but re-qualified for the Champions League the following season by winning the 2023 Europa League.

On Wenger’s claim that Spurs and United should not qualify for the Champions League, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario added: “Everyone can have their thoughts on everything in life. I don’t agree, but it doesn’t matter. They are the rules.”

Here are the teams. Spurs have rolled out almost the same XI as in the first leg, with Richarlison on the left wing, Yves Bissouma in midfield and Dejan Kulusevski replacing the injured James Maddison:

And here’s the Bodo/Glimt XI, strengthened by the return of their midfielder and captain Patrick Berg from suspension:

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the latest must-win, era defining game of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Tottenham Hotspur. It’s the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, starting at 5am AEST. And we’ll bring you all the action from the Aspmyra Stadium in Bodo, Norway – north of the Arctic Circle, you may have heard – as it happens.

I’m Vince Rugari. Glad to have your company once again.

Spurs are in a good position. They’ve got a 3-1 lead in this tie after a strong home performance last week in London, although the late goal scored by Ulrik Saltnes means there is still a hint of possibility for Bodo/Glimt, and their experience in the conditions and on the artificial pitch they call home will make for a difficult set of circumstances for Postecoglou’s side. Nothing has come easy for them this season, and progression from here will be hard-earned and hard-fought, despite the aggregate advantage they boast.

Injuries have also stung. They’re without James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall, two of their best midfielders, for the remainder of the season while their usual skipper Son Heung-min didn’t make the trip, though there is hope that he might be fit for the final in Bilbao. Should they make it, of course.

Team news coming up for you in just a second.