Bodo Glimt vs Linfield Predictions

• Fewer than four goals have been scored in six of Bodo/Glimt’s last nine home games.
• Four of Linfield’s last five away Champions League ties have featured fewer than four goals.

Healy’s side have a puncher’s chance

Bodo/Glimt should have enough firepower to progress when they meet Linfield in the return leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie. The champions of Northern Ireland pulled off a smash-and-grab raid on the Norwegian side at Windsor Park when Kirk Millar scored the only goal of the game a few minutes from time.

The Blues had withstood some concerted Glimt pressure as the visitors outshot them 21-8 and won five corners to the hosts’ three. But David Healy’s side rarely lost their shape and never their belief to give themselves a puncher’s chance of completing the knockout at Aspmyra Stadion.

Glimt will once again be without a few important players – none more so than mercurial, but injured, winger Ola Solbakken. The hosts managed five goals in 48 minutes against Jerv at the weekend, but it was not a complete performance as they appeared to lose the plot once they went 5-0 up.

Warsaw result should be a warning to Glimt

They are unlikely to find Linfield as easy to break down as Jerv and could even be caught on the counter-attack if Healy’s men can exploit a lack of pace in central defence. That said, history does not suggest Linfield have much of a chance here as they have lost each of their last three away Champions League encounters.

Among those losses was a staunch display in Poland against Legia Warsaw that should be the Blues’ blueprint here. Legia were 1/7 for the win and had to rely on a late winner after Millar had been sent off with 15 minutes to go. That should be a warning to anyone backing Glimt to glide into the next round with a bit to spare and points us in the direction of an under 3.5 goals tally.

Kjetil Knutsen’s side can be a bit hit and miss – such as in their 3-1 away defeat to KI in the second leg of the previous round – and it could pay to swerve them in the outright betting here. A 1-0 home win gets our vote in correct score betting as Linfield proved last week that they can soak up the Norwegians’ pressure.