Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt will look to maintain their brilliant start in the Europa League when they welcome Azeri champions Qarabag FK to the Arctic Circle on Thursday.
Always stronger at home, Kjetil Knutsen's side have even been excellent away in the league phase so far, and look on course to reach the knockout stage as we approach the midway point.
Match preview
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While Bodo/Glimt are in a devilishly tight title race in Norway, attempting to hold onto their Eliteserien crown, that has not seen their performances suffer on the continent.
Their remarkable home record in Europe continued on matchday one, as they stunned Porto here at Aspmyra, but they have also proven they can travel well, despite often suffering on the road in recent seasons.
After a draw with Union Saint-Gilloise to follow up their opening day victory, Bodo/Glimt shocked Portuguese opposition again, with Villads Nielsen's last-gasp header at the Quarry enough to beat Braga 2-1.
That means the Norwegian side have already won more games than they did in their last Europa League group stage campaign, and can now win back-to-back games in the competition for the first time.
The hosts will be huge favourites to do so too, as the Porto win was their 25th in 31 home games in Europe, as clubs across the continent continue to struggle to acclimatise with the plastic pitch and the climate in the Arctic Circle.
Another win in Europe will also help boost morale for their title run-in with Brann, who have won three in a row to cut the gap entirely at the summit of Norway's top flight, with Bodo/Glimt having dropped five points from winning positions since the Braga success.
In comparison, Qarabag have made a hopeless start to their European campaign, and are a long way off the performances they showed last season when they were just moments from reaching the quarter-finals at the expense of Bayer Leverkusen.
![Coach Gurban Gurbanov of Qarabag FK looks on as his side face Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16 - 14/03/2024 [on July 28, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/30/gurban-gurbanov.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Coach Gurban Gurbanov of Qarabag FK looks on as his side face Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16 - 14/03/2024 [on July 28, 2024]")
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Qurban Qurbanov's men are the side currently propping up the Europa League standings, and just one of the three clubs yet to claim a single point, while they have conceded more goals (eight) than any other team.
The Azeri side inexplicably lost 3-0 to 10-man Tottenham Hotspur on matchday one, and have gone on to suffer back-to-back home defeats against Malmo and Ajax.
Another difficult away day is not what Qarabag need after such a poor start, because on paper, it appears difficult to pinpoint where they will pick up the points they need to claim a knockout place.
The visitors also enter this match on the back of an underwhelming result over the weekend, as Turan took points off Qarabag yet again, ending their seven-game domestic winning run on Friday, after also beating the champions earlier in the season.
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Team News
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Midfielders Gaute Vetti and Syver Skeide are currently sidelined for Bodo/Glimt, with experienced defender Brede Moe also out, but Omar Elabdellaoui made his long-awaited return in the 3-3 draw at Molde over the weekend.
Goalkeeper Nikita Haikin will be hopeful of a quieter evening here, as no stopper has been forced into more saves than him in this competition so far, with his tally 20 being three higher than any other.
Visitors Qarabag are without two of their goalkeepers, as Shahruddin Mahammadaliyev and Amin Ramazanov remain out long term, so Fabijan Buntic and Mateusz Kochalski will battle it out to start between the sticks.
After some ill-discipline in the defeat to Ajax on matchday three, Qarabag will be without two of their starting defensive players here, with Elvin Cafarquliyev, who picked up his third dismissal in five Europa League games, and Julio Romao both now serving a one-match suspension.
Juninho netted six times in vain for the club in Champions League qualifying earlier this season, and has scored their only goal across the league phase so far, so will be the man they will turn to for inspiration in this one.
Bodo/Glimt possible starting lineup:
Haikin; Sjovold, Gundersen, Bjortuft, Bjorkan; Saltnes, Berg, Fet; Maatta, Zinckernagel, Hauge
Qarabag FK possible starting lineup:
Kochalski; Matheus Silva, B Huseynov, Mustafazada, Medina; Bayramov, Jankovic; Leandro Andrade, Benzia, Zoubir; Juninho
We say: Bodo/Glimt 2-0 Qarabag FK
With 25 wins in their last 31 home games, Bodo/Glimt are near-invincible in the Arctic Circle in Europe, while Qarabag are often poor travellers and have made a very disappointing start to their continental campaign.
One positive facet for the away side is that they are unbeaten in five previous meetings with Norwegian sides, and drew 2-2 with Molde on their last visit to the country a year ago, however this is a much tougher venue, and a win is needed.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
