Andreas Hagen has looked to a rival to help his Fredrikstad side end Crystal Palace’s first European adventure.
A diehard Manchester United supporter, the Fredrikstad manager has called on their fierce foes Liverpool during the two-leg tie against last season’s FA Cup winners to decide who goes through to the league phase of the third-tier UEFA Conference League. The Premier League champions have provided the Norwegians with video analysis and tactical details of how Palace play under Oliver Glasner.
Without access to that software and material, Fredrikstad might have gone in blind to the first leg, a 1-0 defeat last week at Selhurst Park. Now Hagen and his team are preparing to host Palace in their 12,500-capacity stadium for the second leg today (Thursday) and hope to benefit from that research.
Fredrikstad have a prestigious 122-year history and are on the rise again after three years spent in the second tier. They are the second most successful Norwegian side with nine league titles, and added a 12th national cup last season. They were second-tier champions as recently as 2023.
Their stadium backs onto the River Glomma in the more modern part of a city with a population of 85,000 that sits in the southeastern part of Norway, an hour by train from the capital, Oslo.
The city centre blends old and new, with ordinary present-day buildings sitting alongside more traditional ones. Cobbled streets in the old town, 10 minutes from the city centre by ferry, lead to a fortress dating back to the mid-1500s, with pastel-coloured buildings hosting restaurants, cafes and galleries.
The quiet streets of Fredrikstad’s old town (Matt Woosnam/The Athletic)
That journey between the two takes you past the maritime repair centre and speaks to Fredrikstad’s history. Built on industrial land where boats were once made, the stadium’s east and west stands are listed, while images on the end of the west stand are a nod to that shipbuilding.
The tranquillity of the old town is in stark contrast to the noise expected from the home supporters on Thursday night, the volume expected in the stadium comparable to that made by the artillery pieces which once protected the old town and still remain in place. The community is eagerly anticipating this fixture, which is a sell-out, with flags likely to adorn the riverside from those who could not purchase tickets.
It is a huge occasion for them to host a Premier League side, and the two clubs are worlds apart.
Glasner hinted at the expected signing of Yeremy Pino from Villarreal in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, saying they were close to finding Eberechi Eze’s replacement.
That deal is worth in excess of £21million, which is more than double Fredrikstad’s annual budget of £10m. Club finances may be helped by selling 9,900 tickets for this match but the money they are making has been largely swallowed by the cost of chartering their flight to London for the first leg last week. Due to the closure of standing sections at the ground, Palace’s 1,700-strong travelling support will outnumber Fredrikstad’s ultras.
This is not the first time the two clubs have played each other. Steve Coppell brought a Palace side containing Ian Wright to town for a pre-season friendly before the 1991-92 season as part of a Scandinavian tour.
Fredikstad also hosted Manchester City in the 1970s and before that knocked Ajax out of the European Cup, now the Champions League, in August 1960, winning 4-3. Those games were at their former stadium, with a new one built in 2007. Overcome Palace, and this will be a game celebrated by the city for decades.
It is, Hagen says, “the biggest game in our recent history”. He took over last summer and led them to cup glory but has never faced an English team as a manager, while his playing experience was primarily in the Danish top flight. It is an occasion for him, too.
Hagen is thrilled to have Palace in town (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
“To host Crystal Palace in Europe is massive for the area,” he tells The Athletic. “Many people are massive supporters of Premier League clubs and travel to England to watch their teams. It’s as big here as the Norwegian league, maybe bigger. People want to be here because of the event. It’s been a long, long time since we have played games like this in Europe.
“The staff and I had several hours in London after the first game, so we talked a lot. My phone has gone a little bit wild with messages from people, some I don’t even know, asking for tickets.”
Palace are strong favourites, not only for this match, but to go deep into the knockout stages and potentially match Chelsea last season by winning the competition. While Glasner is keen for his players to remain “humble” and show respect to their opposition, Hagen believes there is extra pressure on his opposite number.
“Any Premier League team going into the Conference League would be one of the favourites, just because it’s the best league in the world. But it just takes one goal from us to be level. They have all the pressure on them as a Premier League team, and it being their first time in Europe. I assume they expect this to just be a win and go into the league phase. We don’t have that.”
A potential issue for Palace is the artificial pitch, although Glasner, who says talk at this stage of his team winning the Conference League next May would be “disrespectful”, dismissed any likelihood of issues with the surface. “(Danish side) Midtjylland won 3-1 here (in Europa League qualifying three weeks ago). It is how it is, so we accept it. It’s a credit to this group that they’re never moaning about situations, about the environment, about the weather,” he said in his press conference.
Palace prepare for the second leg later today on Fredrikstad’s artificial pitch (Matt Woosnam/The Athletic)
“When we won the FA Cup, we played a Monday night game in Doncaster, it was two degrees and the rain came sideways. The players accepted it and we won 2-0. This is how we approach this game.”
The artificial pitch is a contrast to the lush grass of Selhurst, where Hagen says his players asked for a longer training session and admitted it was potentially a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to play there. “After the game, I sat down with my staff and people around the club and you see how much it meant to them,” he says.
Palace must navigate the extra pressure of the favourites tag, with a thin squad due to injuries and departures, and the change in playing surface. For Fredrikstad, it is about not being overawed by an occasion which means so much to them.
“More people come here because of Crystal Palace,” Hagen says. “To play these games gives a belief. This club, two years ago, was down in the divisions. Now it’s up again.
“Both sides won their cup final. It’s going to be packed downtown, it’ll be good for business. It’s going to be louder than ever, and it will be electric.”
(Top photo: Matt Woosnam/The Athletic)
