Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Indonesia
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia

Bodo/Glimtvs.Sandefjord

sportsmole.co.uk, 27 May 2024, 19:06
Looking to get the defence of their top-tier crown back on track, Bodo/Glimt will welcome an out-of-form Sandefjord side to Aspmyra Stadion on Wednesday night in the Norwegian Eliteserien.

The Yellow Horde could only manage a share of the spoils with KFUM Oslo last time out, whilst the Whalers suffered defeat at the home of FK Haugesund to extend a losing run.

Match preview

After three straight victories to commence May's Eliteserien campaign in flawless fashion, current champions Bodo/Glimt have collected just the single point from their last two league matches, losing 1-0 away at HamKam on May 20 before settling for a 2-2 draw with KFUM on home soil on Friday night.

Taking an early lead in the race for the division's Golden Boot, Albert Gronbaek netted his seventh of the season to give the Yellow Horde an advantage last time out, however strikes for KFUM from Petter Dahl and Johannes Hummelvoll-Nunez meant that Jens Petter Hauge's late counter was only good enough to salvage a point.

Despite stumbling in terms of results as the month draws to a close, Bodo/Glimt are still sitting pretty at the summit of the Eliteserien standings having earned 23 points from 10 league contests in 2024, possessing a two-point advantage over surprise package Fredrikstad and Brann in second and third respectively.

With his transformation of the Yellow Horde forcing clubs from around the continent to monitor his situation at Aspmyra Stadion, Kjetil Knutsen is continuing to deliver the goods as the manager of Wednesday's hosts, with the 55-year-old winning 162 of his 273 competitives matches in charge since taking the reins in November 2017.

Due to their ascension to the Norwegian throne in 2023, Bodo/Glimt are looking forward to the opportunity to qualify for the first edition of the revamped Champions League, however the Eliteserien champions will need to successfully advance through three rounds of qualifying to earn a spot in the 36-team league phase.

Experiencing the highs of back-to-back wins in the Eliteserien at the beginning of May, Sandefjord have swiftly returned to their relegation-fighting reality with a sequence of three straight defeats in the first tier, the most recent of which being a 2-1 loss to FK Haugesund on Sunday afternoon.

Netting his third goal of the 2024 schedule, veteran marksman Alexander Ruud Tveter gave the Whalers an unexpected lead at Haugesund Sparebank Arena, however second-half strikes from Julius Eseksen and Claus Niyukuri turned the result on its head and left the visitors empty handed.

After flirting with the possibility of relegation over the past two years - finishing 14th in 2022 and 13th in 2023 - Andreas Tegstrom's troops are set to circle the top-tier plughole once again in 2024, with Wednesday's visitors to Bodo currently sat in 15th, three points adrift from Lillestrom in the relative safety of 13th.

The Whalers need to find a quick solution to their troubles on the road in order to give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding second-division football in 2025, with Sandefjord collecting just the single point from their first five Eliteserien outings of the campaign.

Not too dissimilar to the majority of sides in Norway over the past few years, Sandefjord's recent record against Bodo/Glimt does not make for nice viewing, with the Norwegian champions winning the last five editions of this fixture in the Eliteserien.

Bodo/Glimt Norwegian Eliteserien form:

W

W

W

W

L

D

Sandefjord Norwegian Eliteserien form:

L

W

W

L

L

L

Team News

Bodo/Glimt are without the services of first-choice left-back Fredrik Andre Bjorkan, who suffered a thigh strain in early May and is not scheduled to return until next month.

The absence of the defender means that Adam Sorensen is set to continue on the left side of the hosts' backline, with Fredrik Sjovold operating at right-back.

After providing a pair of assists in the win over Kristiansund, Sondre Sorli picked up an ankle knock and will therefore be unavailable until early July.

Sandefjord's Darrell Tibell picked up an injury on his debut for the club at the beginning of the season and is now fighting back from the issue.

Young pairing Filip Loftesnes-Bjune and Marcus Melchior are yet to feature in a competitive sense this campaign due to knee and ankle injuries respectively.

Despite a third straight loss last time out, Tegstrom is not expected to make wholesale alterations to his XI, meaning that Stian Kristiansen and Fredrik Tobias Berglie should start once again at centre-back.

Bodo/Glimt possible starting lineup:

Haikin; Sjovold, Gundersen, Bjortuft, Wembangomo, Evjen, Berg, Gronbaek; Zugelj, Hauge, Hogh

Sandefjord possible starting lineup:

Keto; Pedersen, Berglie, Kristiansen, Egeli; Risan, Ottosson, Amin; Dunsby, Al-Saed, Ruud Tveter

We say: Bodo/Glimt 3-0 Sandefjord

Despite their struggles in recent matches, Bodo/Glimt will be overwhelming favourites to collect maximum points on Wednesday night, strengthening their grip on top spot in the Eliteserien.

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women have been left with a mountain to climb in the Women's Champions League owing to a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final tie. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen has admitted he expects to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Morgan Gibbs-White has revealed his reaction to receiving a late England call-up from Thomas Tuchel. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Jeremie Frimpong has fuelled speculation over a summer move to Liverpool by greeting Ryan Gravenberch in a scouse accent. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has seen three players withdraw from his squad due to injury ahead of Thursday's UEFA Nations League quarter-final first-leg clash with Netherlands at De Kuip in Rotterdam. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman has named his 24-man squad ahead of Thursday's UEFA Nations League quarter-final first-leg clash with Spain at De Kuip in Rotterdam. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk UEFA Nations League holders Spain travel to De Kuip in Rotterdam to face the Netherlands in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Thursday night. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Al Nassr are plotting a stunning move to sign Gabriel Magalhaes this summer, talkSPORT understands. 18 March 2025 talksport.com A trio of England under-21 players joined Thomas Tuchel's training session on Tuesday. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have confirmed that Cole Palmer has returned from the England squad to undergo further assessment on the injury he sustained before Sunday's 1-0 loss to Arsenal. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Continuing their quest for a first UEFA Nations League crown, Italy will welcome familiar foes Germany to San Siro on Thursday evening, as the pair play out the first leg of an enticing quarter-final tie. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal fans may have to wait until next season to see the best of Bukayo Saka ahead of his imminent return from hamstring surgery, Gunners expert Charles Watts believes. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Jean-Philippe Mateta injury was so severe his plastic surgeon refused to show him pictures of his ear. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ultimately aiming to claim a first UEFA Nations League title, Germany will kick off their quarter-final clash with old foes Italy on Thursday. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has suggested that Darwin Nunez could still have a future at Anfield, but not as Arne Slot's starting number nine. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Armenia host neighbours Georgia in Yerevan on Thursday evening, as the two nations fight for the right to play in league B of the UEFA Nations League. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Liverpool are ready to consider offers for striker Darwin Nunez, talkSPORT understands. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Austria host Serbia on Thursday evening, looking to gain an advantage in their two-legged playoff for the right to play in Group A of the UEFA Nations League. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking a place in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals, European heavyweights Italy and Germany will convene at San Siro on Thursday, for the first leg of their quarter-final tie. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Luka Modric has reportedly decided whether he intends to remain at Real Madrid past the end of the season. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Leicester player Hamza Choudhury was mobbed by fans after arriving for his first senior international call-up. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk is allegedly the subject of surprise interest from a Bundesliga club. 18 March 2025 talksport.com A brand-new competition will be taking place this summer, with some of the world's biggest clubs eyeing glory in the USA. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Ola Aina had a hilarious response to discovering he would be sharing a bed with Alex Iwobi on international duty. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Arsenal have added Carabao Cup winning Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes to their list of summer transfer targets, talkSPORT understands. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Vying for a place in the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Scotland and Greece will meet for the first leg of their promotion/relegation playoff on Thursday. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Troy Deeney has reiterated his belief that Mohamed Salah is 'not world class' after his Wembley woes. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Papiss Cisse has been convinced to come out of retirement at the age of 39 by a former Newcastle teammate. 18 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams at opposite ends of Group C in the third round of AFC World Cup qualifiers will clash on Thursday as leaders Japan face Bahrain. 18 March 2025 talksport.com Danny Drinkwater was once given just an hour to leave Chelsea and led to a bust-up with the manager.