Bodo/Glimt host Dinamo Zagreb in their UEFA Champions League playoff first leg with the winners of progressing to the group stage of the competition. The Norwegians have built their campaign on a solid home record but Dinamo poses a bigger challenge than their previous opponents in the qualifiers.
Bodo/Glimt appear to be in an unprecedented era of success at the moment given their impressive rise in European football in recent years. They were one of the surprise teams in the Europa Conference League last season and are now just two matches away from reaching the group stage of the Champions League for the first time.
The Norwegians have breezed through three rounds of the Champions League qualifiers without suffering defeat. Kjetil Knutsen’s men reached the playoffs after seeing off Lithuanian side Zalgiris 6-1 on aggregate.
Home form has been pivotal for Bodo/Glimt this season and they have won their last seven matches at the Aspmyra Stadion across all competitions. Most of these wins have been one-sided as shown in their 8-0 thrashing of Linfield prior to the clash with Zalgiris.
Unlike Bodo/Glimt, Dinamo Zagreb have some pedigree in the Champions League having reached the group stage of the competition five times since 2011. Although they often struggle to make the knockout stages, the Croats are still considered dangerous opponents in the qualifying rounds.
Dinamo Zagreb have proved that point in this year’s competition as they have cruised through two qualifying rounds unbeaten. They have actually won their last three matches in the competition and did the double-over Bulgarian side Ludogorets for a 6-3 aggregate victory to book their place in the playoffs.
One similarity between Bodo/Glimt and Dinamo Zagreb is that the manager Ante Cacic is also committed to an attacking style of play. The Croatians have scored two or more goals in four of their last five matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Bodo/Glimt have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 13/10 by BetVictor to claim the win. A victory for Dinamo Zagreb is valued at 11/5 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 27/10 by SBK.
Head to head
This will be the first-ever meeting between Bodo/Glimt and Dinamo Zagreb.
Players to watch
Bodo/Glimt often spread their goals across the team but Amahl Pellegrino often leads the line and is their top scorer. The striker has found the net three times in his last three appearances in the qualifiers and is priced at 6/4 with Sport Nation.
Mislav Orsic has impressed for Dinamo Zagreb this season and will be the one to watch on Tuesday. The attacker has five goals in his last seven appearances across all competitions and is priced at 11/4 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Bodo/Glimt and Dinamo Zagreb have plenty of quality in attack and both teams produced over 3.5 in their previous fixtures. A similar outcome is priced at 41/20 by Unibet, who are also offering odds of 10/13 for over 2.5 goals.
Both teams have had some late showings in the Champions League so the second half could be tipped to produce the most goals at evens with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Champions League match between Bodo/Glimt and Dinamo Zagreb will be played on Aug 16, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bodo/Glimt vs Dinamo Zagreb prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
