After a 0-0 draw in the first leg, Lech Poznan take on Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night for a place in the next round of the Europa Conference League at the Stadion Poznan.
Lech Poznan come into this affair after a 2-1 defeat at home against Zaglebie Lubin, while Bodo/Glimt returned to action for the first time since November with that stalemate in the first leg.
Match preview
© Reuters
It has been a rather underwhelming defence of the Ekstraklasa title for Lech Poznan this season, having dropped out of the title race already trailing Rakow Czestochowa in first position by 13 points.
In their last match, they once again dropped points in the league, as two early goals proved enough to see the hosts out in a 2-1 defeat against Zaglebie Lubin.
Lech Poznan have struggled from a lack of goalscoring prowess this season, being ranked ninth in the division for goals scored so far after having the best record in the division in the previous campaign.
This issue once again conveyed its prevalence in the first leg of the matchup against Bodo/Glimt, as they were shut out by their opponents, only amassing three shots in the game.
However, Poznan will take a level of positivity away from the 0-0 in the first leg, as they were able to prevent Bodo/Glimt from using their home advantage and will believe they have the upper hand in this affair.
The hosts will still need to be defensively resilient in this tie, but at home they should adopt a more positive mentality to put their opponents on the back foot and create more attempts on goal than in the previous tie.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, Bodo/Glimt made their comeback to competitive football in 2023 in the first leg of this matchup last week, as they were held out by their opponents while looking rather rusty, failing to conjure many meaningful attempts on the net.
A struggle to hit the target on a regular basis and create clear goalscoring opportunities was evident and could provide worries for Kjetil Knutsen, as his side have not played since the first leg.
Heading into the final stage of this tie it will be vital that Bodo/Glimt regain the slickness in the final third that saw them score 86 goals in the Eliteserien last season, and they will need to rely on their goalscoring prowess to get them through this fixture.
Amahl Pellegrino could well be the match-winner in this tie and may be instrumental in Bodo/Glimt progressing into the next phase of the competition, with the Norwegian having finished 25 times in his last domestic season.
- W
- D
- D
- D
- W
- D
Lech Poznan form (all competitions):
- D
- D
- W
- W
- D
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Lech Poznan could make seven changes from the side that were defeated 2-1 by Zaglebie Luton on Sunday.
Neither Filip Dagerstal nor Pedro Rebocho are set feature in this matchup, with Bartosz Salamon and Joel Pereira both to return to the side after being rested on the weekend.
Jesper Karlstrom is also expected to return to the midfield for this matchup, with Afonso Sousa likely to drop out of the side to make way for the 27-year-old.
The entire frontline is set to be changed, with Artur Sobiech, Kristoffer Velde, Filip Marchwinski and Adriel Ba Loua all expected to be replaced by Mikael Ishak, Michal Skoras, Filip Szymczak and Radoslaw Murawski.
Bodo/Glimt are not likely to make any changes to the side that featured in the first tie against Lech Poznan.
Faris Moumbagna is expected to lead the line again for his side despite not having started regularly for Bodo/Glimt last season.
Lech Poznan possible starting lineup:
Bednarek; Pereira, Salamon, Kvekveskiri, Milic, Czerwinski; Szymczak, Murawski, Karlstrom, Skoras; Ishak
Bodo/Glimt possible starting lineup:
Lund; Wembangom, Moe, Lode, Sorensen; Konradsen, Berg, Gronbaek; Mvuka, Moumbagna, Pellegrino
We say: Lech Poznan 1-0 Bodo/Glimt
We believe that Lech Poznan will edge this affair due to the inactivity of Bodo/Glimt in competitive fixtures, as the first leg showed signs of a side struggling to pick up where they left off.
We think that this game will be competitive as both sides are evenly matched, but Lech Poznan will use their home crowd to their advantage and progress into the next round of the Europa Conference League.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
