Only two matches matter in the remainder of this season for Tottenham Hotspur – Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Bodo/Glimt in Norway and the potential final if they can hold out after winning the first leg 3-1 in London.
Ange Postecoglu’s team continue to put their best foot forward in the Europa League while generally disappointing when in Premier League action, but they now need a strong performance in difficult conditions on the road to book their place in the final.
Bodo/Glimt play on an artificial surface and the Spurs manager will have to make sure his team don’t already have that in their heads as an excuse if things unravel for them inside the Arctic Circle.
The Norwegian side were clearly second-best in the first leg, when Brennan Johnson gave Spurs a first-minute lead and James Maddison and a Dominic Solanke penalty made it 3-0, before Ulrik Saltnes struck for the visitors with seven minutes remaining to give his side some hope for the second leg.
Kick-off at the Aspmyra Stadion is scheduled for 20:00 BST on Thursday, 8th May and the match will be shown live on TNT Sports 2 in the UK.
Read on for in-depth analysis of the key Europa League match plus expert predictions and betting tips.
Tip 1
Tottenham won more comfortably than they might even have hoped in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, having 15 shots to the Norwegian side’s two, and taking 13 of the 14 corners in the match.
However, the late goal by Saltnes reduced their advantage and means Spurs now have just a two-goal lead to defend in unusual conditions.
With Bodo/Glimt’s stadium holding only 8,270 spectators, the game could have the feel of an early-round FA Cup tie and the hosts will fancy themselves in the role of giant-killers against a side who are not known for their mental resolve.
The hosts had done well all through this competition until their let-down in London, coming ninth in the league phase and getting past Serie A outfit Lazio in their quarter-final.
They beat the Italians 2-0 in the first leg at home before going through on penalties and would love to match that result this week.
Tottenham rested some players in their weekend 1-1 draw with West Ham but their defensive record remains a concern and both teams have scored in seven of their last eight matches.
Spurs should really have it in them to see it out and qualify, but extending their lead in tricky conditions is not going to be easy, so taking the hosts to win with the draw no bet appeals.
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Tip 2
Bodo/Glimt forward Kasper Hogh didn’t make much of an impression in the first leg but the Danish 24-year-old could get on the scoresheet on home turf.
Hogh has scored against Porto, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, FC Twente and Olympiakos in his team’s impressive Europa League run and he could pose a greater threat on an artificial surface that he is more used to than the Tottenham defenders.
Hogh has scored in three of his four appearances in the new Eliteserien season and will be keen to enhance his reputation in such a high-profile match.
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Bodo/Glimt are boosted by the return of Patrick Berg, Hakon Evjen and Andreas Helmersen, who were all suspended for the first leg. Gaute Vetti and Daniel Bassi are expected to miss out due to injury.
Bodo/Glimt Predicted XI: Haikin; Sjovold, Bjortuft, Gundersen, Bjorkan; Evjen, Berg, Saltnes; Blomberg, Hogh, Hauge.
James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Radu Dragusin are out and Heung-Min Son remains a major doubt as he continues to recover from a foot problem. Dominic Solanke, however, is expected to be available after tweaking his thigh in the first leg.
Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson are among those likely to return after being unused substitutes at West Ham. Timo Werner and Antonin Kinsky are not eligible to play.
Tottenham Predicted XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Kulusevski, Bentancur; Johnson, Solanke, Tel.
Tottenham’s 3-1 win against Bodo/Glimt in the first leg is the only previous match between the teams.
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