On Wednesday night, Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt host Lithuanian outfit Zalgiris for the first leg of their 2022/23 UEFA Champions League qualifier.
Funnily enough, Bodø/Glimt and Zalgiris faced each other in Europa League qualifying in 2020/21 before facing off again in Europa Conference League qualifying last season.
6/8 og kun to dager igjen til ny Europakamp på Aspmyra!💥 https://t.co/doJIhfZyeN pic.twitter.com/rPF8gI1JGW— FK Bodø/Glimt (@Glimt) August 1, 2022
6/8 og kun to dager igjen til ny Europakamp på Aspmyra!💥 https://t.co/doJIhfZyeN pic.twitter.com/rPF8gI1JGW
Since the Norwegians came out on top on both occasions, the Lithuanians will be desperate to make amends this time around.
It’s safe to say that Bodø/Glimt have made light work of their previous opponents in this season’s Champions League qualification campaign.
After claiming a 4-3 aggregate victory over Faroese outfit KI, the Norwegians thrashed Northern Irish side Linfield 8-1 in the previous round.
Despite losing 1-0 in Linfield, Bodø/Glimt crushed the Northern Irishmen 8-0 in the second leg – with both Amahl Pellegrino and Runar Esejord bagging a brace.
Believe it or not, Bodø/Glimt have not drawn any of their past 14 games in all competitions – recording ten wins and four losses in that time.
It is also worth noting that Bodø/Glimt have won each of their last four Eliteserien outings, meaning they are in the running to defend their domestic crown.
On the flip side, Zalgiris beat Kosovan outfit Ballkani 2-1 in the first qualifying round before securing a 3-0 aggregate victory over Malmo in the previous round.
The Lithuanians have kept a clean sheet in each of their past three Champions League qualifiers, scoring four goals along the way.
In the A Lyga, Zalgiris have suffered just one defeat in 18 games this year – securing 12 wins and five draws in the process.
In addition to boasting the best defensive record in Lithuania's top tier, Zalgiris are the second-highest scorers in the division.
Head-to-head: Zalgiris have never managed to beat Bodø/Glimt, despite facing the Norwegians three times since 2020.
Bodø/Glimt won the first meetings 3-1. Last season, the teams played out a 2-2 draw in Lithuania before Bodø/Glimt claimed a 1-0 victory on home soil.
Team news: Bodø/Glimt have two injury absentees at the moment. Sondre Fet (knee) and Ola Solbakken (shoulder) are set to miss Wednesday’s clash.
Zalgiris are injury-free right now, meaning head coach Vladimir Cheburin has a full-strength squad at his disposal.
If the previous meetings between Bodø/Glimt and Zalgiris are anything to go by, the Norwegians shouldn’t struggle to come out on top this time around.
Forebet predicts that Bodø/Glimt will score over 2.5 goals on their way to chalking up a solid first-leg advantage over Zalgiris.