Bodo/Glimt vs Olympiakos Prediction: Hogh can give Glimt a glimmer of hope

Conference League champions Olympiakos face a test of their mettle when they head to northern Norway to take on Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

Read on for my Bodo/Glimt vs Olympiakos prediction, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

The Norwegian champions have an outstanding record on home soil, having won 34 out of a total of 46 European home games they have played since 1976.

The artificial surface of their Aspmyra Stadion has been the undoing of many high-profile clubs down the years with Porto, Besiktas and FC Twente added to the list of defeated visitors this season.

But Olympiakos are in great form too amid a 25-match unbeaten run and should have a physical edge over a side that have not played competitively since their 6-4 aggregate success against the Dutch club in the playoff round last month.

Team News

Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen has a virtually fully-fit squad with midfielder Brede Moe the only doubt to feature.

As for Olympiakos, the Greek outfit are without a handful of first-team regulars through injury with striker Ayoub El Kaabi, the Europa League top scorer, among them.

Midfielders Andre Horta and Dani Garcia are also unavailable but centre-back Lorenzo Pirola has shaken off the knock that forced him to be replaced against AEK Athens on Sunday.

Bodo/Glimt vs Olympiakos Odds

Bodo/Glimt are 6/5 favourites to take all three points, giving them a 45% implied chance of winning according to the odds. Visitors Olympiakos are available at 11/5 and the draw is priced at 13/5.

Over 2.5 goals is on offer at 4/5, with 1/1 the quote for under 2.5, while it's 4/6 that both teams score in the match and 6/5 that at least one team fails to get on the scoresheet.

Bodo/Glimt to win 2-1 @ 15/2

Olympiakos will miss the aerial threat and general presence of El Kaabi up front, but coach Jose Luis Mendilibar is not expected to alter his tactics too much.

The Greeks are a high-intensity, pressing side that will try to force Bodo/Glimt onto the back foot and it will be interesting to see how Knutsen’s men cope with their opponent’s approach.

The game is close to a sellout and the fans in this tight venue will also play a part in lifting the hosts to another memorable performance.

Glimt never know when they are beaten and their impressive home record in Europe suggests they can grab a win of some kind.

They usually concede in these sorts of matches, but only Qarabag have prevented them from scoring multiple goals in home Europa League games this term.

Olympiakos are unused to losing but with several key men out and the knowledge that they can overturn a one-goal deficit in the home leg next week, a 2-1 scoreline might be one that does not disappoint either coach.

Bookings Points 20-35 @ 13/10

These two clubs have never met before and there does not seem to be any animosity between them in the build-up to the tie.

It should be a pretty easy one for Ukrainian referee Mykola Balakin to officiate and it is noticeable that matches at Aspmyra Stadion don’t usually call for a rash of cards.

Opponents tend to adapt their game to deal with the synthetic surface, which leads to fewer tackles in the matches.

There have been a combined total of 18 cards shown in the five previous Europa League home games for Glimt this season.

And with Balakin having issued between two and three cautions in four of his last six matches, backing 20-35 bookings points looks like the way to go.

Kasper Hogh anytime goalscorer @ 15/8

Bodo/Glimt’s centre forward Kasper Hogh is an obvious candidate to score in Thursday’s match.

The former Randers striker is a typical Scandinavian targetman and rarely strays away from the centre of the penalty area when his team are on the attack.

Glimt are not shy to cross the ball and will look to create overloads at the far post for cut-backs and headers back across the face of goal.

That will be where Hogh, who has scored four Europa League goals in eight appearances this season, will be waiting.

The 24-year-old also takes penalties for the Norwegian champions and confidently dispatched his last spot-kick against FC Twente.

Offers

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