Tottenham v Bodo/Glimt: Line-ups, stats and preview

Tottenham v Bodo/Glimt match preview

The potentially defining home match of Tottenham’s curious season arrives on Thursday when Ange Postecoglou’s side take on Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals.

Spurs suffered their third successive Premier League defeat with a 5-1 thrashing at champions Liverpool on Sunday, taking their total to 19 league losses in a season that still holds the promise of silverware if they can oust the reigning Norwegian champions and beat Manchester United or Athletic Bilbao in the final.

“I don’t think so,” Postecoglou replied when he was asked if he will need to lift his players after their troubles at Anfield. “We had some key players missing who I think will come in and sort of make sure there isn’t any hangover.

“We had a really young midfield with Lucas [Bergvall] and Archie [Gray] and you’re asking a massive task of them. It was always going to be a huge ask for us and it proved too much.”

Behind the scenes at training ahead of Thursday’s @EuropaLeague semi-final 👊 pic.twitter.com/rOH5zHJbG1

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 29, 2025

Bodo/Glimt beat Lazio on penalties in the last eight, becoming the first Norwegian team to reach the semi-finals of a European competition.

“I don’t believe in miracles,” manager Kjetil Knutsen said afterwards. “I believe in our journey. The magic was with us. We played an extraordinary match and we’re incredibly proud to be in the semi-finals.”

Forward Jens Petter Hauge called Glimt’s progress “crazy”. “Everything is possible now,” he added. “There are four teams left and we have to keep working hard to prepare for Tottenham.

“They are a strong team with many good players. It’s going to be tough – like [against Lazio] – but this group can do it and we believe in ourselves.”

Din deilige danske💛 pic.twitter.com/LH7Cn7sJdZ

— FK Bodø/Glimt | Seriemester 2024 🏆 (@Glimt) April 27, 2025

Tottenham v Bodo/Glimt team news

As Postecoglou’s remarks suggest, Spurs are likely to make wholesale changes for a match they have clearly been prioritising since advancing with an impressive 2-1 aggregate win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

“A lot of our players have missed a lot of this season with injuries and it [is about] managing their minutes, because we want them ready,” the Australian told Tottenham’s website.

“Guys like Micky [van de ven] and [Cristian] Romero could have played [on Sunday], but they’ve missed so much of the season that we’ve just got to be really careful about when we use them.

“Guys like Pedro [Porro] and [Rodrigo] Bentancur have played a lot this year.”

Defender Radu Dragusin is out with a knee injury and Heung-Min Son is “touch and go” because of a foot issue, with the forward likely to be ready for the second leg, according to Postecoglou.

London neste✈️ pic.twitter.com/DA85LFYySk

— FK Bodø/Glimt | Seriemester 2024 🏆 (@Glimt) April 30, 2025

Bodo/Glimt have problems of their own. Forward Andreas Helmersen and midfielders Hakon Evjen and Patrick Berg are suspended, while winger Ole Didrik Blomberg and centre-back Odin Bjortuft are injury doubts.

Bjortuft has played throughout much of their European campaign but was forced off through injury during their 3-0 home win over KFUM on Sunday.

“He was disappointed and told me that he his groin was painful, but you can feel pain without that necessarily meaning it is something [bad],” teammate Ulrik Saltnes was quoted as saying by Football London.

“I do not know anything,” Knutsen reportedly said. “I never enjoy a player laying down, but the medical staff are looking into it.”