Tottenham’s rough Premier League form continued with a heavy 5-1 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, but all eyes now turn to the UEFA Europa League – where some late-season glory is still possible. Manager Ange Postecoglou has guided Spurs to only their second European semi-final this century, and fans will remember their last one fondly – a thrilling win over Ajax. They’ll be hoping to repeat history and book a spot in the final in Bilbao.
Spurs have a perfect record in four previous matches against Norwegian teams, and they are unbeaten in their last 19 European home games, with 15 wins and four draws. Their defence has held up reasonably well in this competition, letting in no more than one goal in any knockout match so far, although they’ve only kept one clean sheet.
However, Bodø/Glimt will be no easy opponent. The Norwegian side have scored in 24 of their last 26 European games and pulled off a surprise by knocking out Lazio in the quarter-finals. They’ve made history as the first Norwegian team ever to reach a European semi-final, and they’ll be determined to go further – though they’ve never beaten an English club in three previous attempts.
Led by Kjetil Knutsen, Bodø/Glimt have won eight of their last ten two-legged European ties. Their strategy has been to keep games close away and make the most of their strong home form. Interestingly, all six of their knockout games in this Europa League run have been won by the home team, with Bodø scoring exactly once in each of their three away defeats.
Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke, who netted their only goal against Liverpool, has scored nine of his 13 goals this season at home. For Bodø, Kasper Høgh is one to watch – he scored again at the weekend and now shares the top spot on the Europa League scoring chart with seven goals, three of which came after half-time.
And one more stat to keep in mind: Bodø/Glimt have found the net in each of their last 12 away matches.
