Tottenham vs Bodo/Glimt: Europa League semi-final team news and preview

Tottenham Hotspur return to North London for their biggest match of the season so far as they host Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final on Thursday night.

After back-to-back Premier League defeats and nothing tangible left to fight for domestically, it’s back to serious business for the Lilywhites; just three games stand between them and the end of a 17-year trophy drought.

Spurs’ domestic campaign went from ugly to embarrassing after the 5-1 defeat at Anfield most recently. That result makes it three straight Premier League losses and a staggering 19 in the league this season, equalling their club record for the most defeats in a single campaign. Prior to that, they fell 2-1 to Nottingham Forest at home.

How both teams go into Tottenham Hotspur v Bodo/Glimt

Despite their Premier League misery, Tottenham have been a different beast in Europe. Unbeaten at home and with just two losses in 12 games. Not only do the results differ, but also performances, to a very large extent. The recent 1-0 away win against Eintracht Frankfurt was perhaps their best display of the season. Every single Spurs player showed up, something fans have longed to see in the league.

There was a collective sigh of relief when Lazio were knocked out in the previous round, but Tottenham won’t be taking Bodo/Glimt lightly either. The Eliteserien champions knocked Lazio out on penalties after a dramatic 3-3 aggregate finish, following a 3-1 loss in Italy. Their 2025 league season has already begun, and they sit unbeaten in four games (three wins, one draw). They come into this tie on the back of two consecutive victories. 5-1 against Junkeren and 3-0 against KFUM.

Their only loss in their previous nine fixtures was in the second leg against Lazio, where they were fortunate enough to be allowed to lose, as they already had a comfortable 2-0 lead from the first leg. They’re ninth in the Europa League form chart with four wins, two draws, and two defeats. This has been a remarkable run for the Norwegian side, having already defeated the likes of Lazio, Besiktas, and FC Porto. Looking further back, they’ve also stunned AS Roma, Celtic, and AZ Alkmaar in previous campaigns.

Tottenham team news

Ange Postecoglou has a near fully-fit squad at his disposal, just when he needs it the most. The only major doubt is Heung-min Son, who has missed the last three games with a foot injury. Postecoglou admitted the captain is “touch and go” for Thursday night’s clash. Son was not spotted in training on Wednesday.

Bodo/Glimt team news

The Norwegian side are in a situation Spurs were once in, as they are running out of players and will be forced to make changes. They’ll be without suspended trio Patrick Berg, Andreas Helmersen, and Hakon Evjen.

Reports from Norway suggest further concerns, with winger Ole Blomberg doubtful after a recent injury. Centre-back Odin Bjortuft was forced off in their previous game with what looked like a groin issue.

Predicted Tottenham lineup

Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Kulusevski, Bentancur, Maddison, Odobert, Solanke, Tel

There’s no doubt Ange will opt for his strongest XI, even if not everyone agrees with our picks. Porro was rested entirely at Anfield, so expect him to return in place of Djed Spence, whose recent performances haven’t helped his cause. Udogie was run ragged by Mo Salah, even scoring an own goal but fans would prefer he make mistakes in the league than in Europe.

Expect Van de Ven and Romero to return after the Ben Davies–Kevin Danso pairing shipped five under Merseyside sunshine.

As for the midfield, it’s been a while since we’ve seen both James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski start in a double pivot attacking role. And when they play together, it’s a delight to see chances coming equally well from both sides of the pitch unlike the usual one-sided attacking intensity we see when only one of them starts. That explains why we’ve opted for Rodrigo Bentancur over Lucas Bergvall, who has been Spurs’ best performer in the last month or so. Bergvall could still start should Ange go with only one of Maddison or Kulusevski. If he doesn’t, he could also come on at half time or at the 1-hour mark.

Odobert returned against Liverpool, replacing Tel, which suggests he’s fit to start over Brennan Johnson. Richarlison, Johnson and Pape Sarr may feature from the bench.

Players to watch out for

Dejan Kulusevski: Spurs have missed him during his time out, and now he’s back with 20 goal contributions this season. Expect him to be back at his best.

Dominic Solanke: The striker loves scoring against his former sides, but where else does he also love showing up? In Europe. He already has 7 goal contributions in 10 appearances and is joint-third for most goal contributions in the Europa League this season.

Guglielmo Vicario. From the entire Spurs squad, he’s probably the lowest in confidence after his back-to-back poor showings in the league. But that’s not the venom Spurs fans recognise him for. He always delivers when his team needs him the most and is arguably the most invested in Spurs’ European push.

Kasper Waarts Høgh. Spurs haven’t kept a home clean sheet in six games and he’s the guy who’ll keep that from happening. The 24-year-old is joint-top scorer in the competition with seven goals and is fresh off a weekend brace.

Our prediction

Make no mistake – this is no walk in the park. Bodo/Glimt lead the xG charts in the Europa League (23 xG, 27 goals scored) and rank just behind Man United.

They have some of the best attacking transitions, and they’re enough to drive a decent defence crazy. Part of that explains why a midfield trio of Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison won’t work out well, as Maddison will end up having to sit the deepest of the three to collect the balls – which he isn’t very good at.

However, Spurs will never have a better chance to take control of the tie. Home advantage, missing key Bodo/Glimt players, and the motivation of their only remaining chance at silverware all stack in their favour.

Taking a deficit or a draw to an artificial turf on a cold night in the Arctic Circle will be something Tottenham will want to avoid.

Predicted score: Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Bodo/Glimt

COYS!

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