Can the Spurs withstand the enormous pressure?

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 1-5 defeat to Liverpool FC on Sunday, which marked the Reds’ early championship victory. The Spurs have now lost four of their last five Premier League games (one win) and are in a miserable 16th place. If the season is not to end in farce, they need to win the Europa League. However, if Tottenham fail to win at home against Bodö/Glimt, this vital goal could slip further out of reach.

There is no question that in their current form, the Lilywhites would probably have to settle for the role of underdogs against a team like Lazio Rome, for example. However, the Norwegians have just eliminated that very team in the quarterfinals, which is why the Gule Horde must definitely be taken seriously. In the following analysis, we explain why we don’t think Tottenham will be the next surprise in the first-ever Norwegian semi-final.

An important factor is the Spurs’ home strength, having not lost any of their last 19 European home games (15 wins, four draws). This is directly contrasted by Bodö/Glimt’s poor away form. The Gule Horde have lost their last three Europa League away games, but they are definitely not a team to be taken lightly. In their last twelve competitive games in the Europa League, the Norwegian champions have scored in every single game (24 goals in total).

Tottenham – Statistics & current form

At the national level, the traditional London club is having a thoroughly disastrous season to forget. However, Ange Postecoglou’s team has long since written off the Premier League, where they are languishing in a dismal 16th place. In their latest 1-5 defeat at Anfield Road, the coach rotated eight positions to rest his stars for the showdown with Bodö/Glimt.

The Spurs are now expected to show their Europa League face again. After all, they are unbeaten in 19 home games in European competition (15 wins, four draws) and currently have the longest such streak of any English team that has been active internationally this season. The Lilywhites have not lost at home in Europe since a 0-1 defeat to RB Leipzig in February 2020. Their record against Norwegian teams is also flawless: all four previous encounters – twice against Lyn and twice against Tromsø – were won convincingly.

Tottenham are relying on the Europa League title

In the UEFA Europa League, the Londoners have lost only one of their last eight games (four wins, three draws) and are now aiming for their first appearance in a major European competition final since 2019. The use of young players is particularly striking: Tottenham have given teenagers 36 appearances and 26 starts in this Europa League season – both club records in English football.

Dominic Solanke has been involved in seven goals (three goals, four assists) in this Europa League season – the best tally for a Spurs player since Carlos Vinicius in 2020/21. Only James Tavernier (Rangers) and Bobby Zamora (Fulham) have scored more points in a single season of the competition. Overall, Tottenham are in the European Cup semi-finals for the ninth time and have come back from first-leg defeats in the last two occasions. However, the odds are against Tottenham losing the first leg against Bodö/Glimt.

Bodö/Glimt – Statistics & current form

Bodö/Glimt is making history: The Norwegians are the first team from their country to reach a major European semi-final. However, their encounters with English clubs have been sobering so far: They have lost all three previous meetings – twice against Arsenal in 2022 and once against Manchester United this season, although it was a close call against the Red Devils in a 2-3 defeat at Old Trafford. A result that is not entirely out of the question now either.

The fact that Kjetil Knutsen’s team, as reigning champions, have once again made a good start to the season, which only began at the end of March, suggests that the Gule Horde (Yellow Horde) will get a good result against Tottenham. They have ten out of a possible twelve points and a goal difference of 9-2. In their dress rehearsal against KFUM Oslo on Sunday, they recorded a resounding 3-0 home win.

Can the enthusiastic Norwegians hold their own?

The Norwegians recently eliminated two big-name teams, Olympiacos and Lazio Rome, although it should be noted that they secured their places in the next round at home. Bodö/Glimt are vulnerable away from home. They have lost their last three away games in the UEFA Europa League, all of them in knockout format. Overall, they have won only one of their last ten European away games (three draws, six defeats).

However, Bodö/Glimt have scored in each of their last twelve Europa League games (24 goals in total) and should therefore be able to pose a threat to Spurs, especially as they are also good at defending. The Gule Horde has made 296 tackles so far, the most defensive work in a Europa League season since 2017/18. However, Patrick Berg, who contributed 63 tackles alone, will miss the first leg through suspension. Head coach Kjetil Knutsen is only the second Norwegian to reach a UEFA Europa League semi-final, after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, Norwegian coaches have lost all eight Europa League games against English teams so far…

Tottenham – Bodö/Glimt Head-to-head record

Head to head: 0 – 0 – 0

There has never been an international competitive match between these two clubs before. This means that there is no head-to-head data available that could influence our prediction for Tottenham vs. Bodö/Glimt. However, it is striking that while Spurs have won all four of their European competitive matches against Norwegian teams, the Gule Horde have lost all three of their competitive matches against Premier League teams.

Tottenham – Bodö/Glimt Tip

Basically, Tottenham Hotspur is the favorite, of course. However, we find it extremely difficult to pick them as favorites, not only because of the low odds, but also because the Lilywhites are under incredible pressure. The assessment of the season is inextricably linked to reaching the Europa League final and winning the title. If the Norwegians, who have scored in twelve Europa League games in a row, can hold their own in the British capital or even take the lead, almost anything can happen.

If the game goes normally, the Lilywhites should win this home game. However, we definitely believe that the Gule Horde are capable of scoring at least one away goal, which is why it makes a lot of sense to bet on the visitors from Norway scoring.

The odds for Knutsen’s team to score more than 1.5 goals against Tottenham are 1.76, which we are betting on at Winamax with four out of ten units.