Looking to salvage their season and win a first European trophy in 41 years, Tottenham Hotspur host Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday night.
Spurs are aiming for some success on the continent following a battering at the base of Liverpool on the weekend, with Superlaget providing unique opposition for the Premier League side in this final-four clash.
Match preview
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Requiring only a point to lift the Premier League title in front of their passionate Merseyside crowd on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool were unsurprisingly too strong for an out-of-sorts Tottenham, who succumbed to their third straight defeat on the domestic scene in sobering style.
There was a four-minute spell of hope for the travelling Spurs after marquee signing Dominic Solanke netted a shock opener at Anfield for the visitors, but Arne Slot's winning machine soon got back on title-clinching track, with the Reds ending the afternoon as 5-1 victors and 20-time English champions.
With four matches remaining of a woeful top-flight campaign, Ange Postecoglou's troops are languishing down in 16th spot in the league standings, meaning that they are on course to match their worst-ever Premier League campaign, spared of a relegation battle by the weakness of the newly-promoted sides this year.
Lifting trophies in his second seasons at Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic, 59-year-old Postecoglou has a glorious opportunity to add a further honour to his CV despite a stuttering campaign, hoping to end the Lilywhites' 17-year wait for a major piece of silverware.
Despite their well-documented struggles in the Premier League, Spurs have been a formidable force in this season's Europa League and provided a memorable night for supporters at Deutsche Bank Park on April 17, when a Solanke penalty was enough to squeeze past 2021-22 winners Eintracht Frankfurt at the quarter-final stage.
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Despite representing a surprise name in the final four of this season's Europa League, Bodo/Glimt have been shaking up the Scandinavian scene ever since their maiden Eliteserien title in 2020, so it should not be a massive shock that Kjetil Knutsen's troops have become the first Norwegian side to reach the semi-finals of a senior UEFA's men's club competition.
Superlaget have clinched their domestic crown in back-to-back terms between 2023 and 2024, entering the current 2025 calendar as favourites to retain the title, starting their Eliteserien campaign unbeaten, winning three and drawing one of their opening quartet of matches.
Bodo/Glimt enjoyed an ideal warm-up ahead of Thursday night's blockbuster trip to N17 on Sunday afternoon, when a Kasper Waarts Hogh brace and a late strike from Ulrik Saltnes were enough to secure a comfortable three-goal success over strugglers KFUM Oslo in the top flight.
Bagging a brilliant double off the bench on the weekend, Danish marksman Hogh is the leading light for Superlaget at the top end of the pitch, netting seven goals across 12 Europa League appearances this term to date, meaning that he is tied at the summit of the competition's Golden Boot race with Ayoub El Kaabi of Olympiacos.
The Norwegian champions have lost all three of their previous meetings with English opposition ahead of Thursday's semi-final first leg, although Knutsen's men were competitive during their latest trip to the British Isles during the League Phase in November, when they snatched a surprise lead at Manchester United before losing 3-2.
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Team News
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After making eight changes for their slaughtering at Anfield on Sunday, Tottenham boss Postecoglou should revert to a full-strength XI on Thursday night as his side chase down much-needed silverware.
As a result, centre-back pairing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero will be restored to the team, replacing Ben Davies and winter arrival Kevin Danso.
There are also set to be alterations in the midfield, with Rodrigo Bentancur preparing to start the first leg after sitting out of the Anfield defeat.
South Korean sensation Heung-min Son remains a doubt for the hosts after missing the last four matches, but Spurs are hopeful that the attacker will be fit to feature during the all-important second leg next week.
The Lilywhites are unable to call upon the services of defender Radu Dragusin (knee), whilst Antonin Kinsky and Timo Werner are not registered for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
Bodo/Glimt are speeding towards an availability crisis as they approach their first-ever European semi-final, with Andreas Helmersen, Patrick Berg and Hakon Evjen all suspended for the trip to North London.
Superlaget suffered another major blow to their hopes of victory in England on Sunday, when ever-present defender Odin Bjortuft was forced off with a groin injury during the victory over KFUM.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Tel
Bodo/Glimt possible starting lineup:
Haikin; Sjovold, Nielsen, Gundersen, Bjork; Fet, Auklend, Saltnes; Blomberg, Hauge, Hogh
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Bodo/Glimt
Despite coming into this two-legged affair as favourites to progress, Tottenham are unlikely to get the job done the easy way, starting with the hosting of Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night.
Superlaget are searching for their first win over English opposition, and although they are unlikely to claim that triumph in North London, they should still be in tie ahead of the second leg at Aspmyra Stadion.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
