Bodo/Glimt welcome Lazio to the Aspmyra Stadion on Thursday evening in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League (UEL) quarter-final clash, with the winner over both legs playing either Eintracht Frankfurt or Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals.
The hosts have done exceptionally well to get this far in the competition, having beaten Olympiacos 4-2 on aggregate in the previous round. Domestically, Bodo/Glimt are on a four-game winning run, scoring a whopping 14 goals and conceding just once.
Lazio edged past Viktoria Plzen 3-2 on aggregate in the last-16, and their 1-0 win away at Atalanta in Serie A last time out broke a four-match winless streak. They should still be confident of seeing off Bodo/Glimt though given their much superior European pedigree, having won the last-ever UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1998/99 and the UEFA Super Cup the following season.
The two sides have never met, and in fact Lazio have only faced Norwegian opposition twice in their history, playing Rosenborg in the 2015/16 UEL campaign.
How the bookies view it: Lazio favourites
Perhaps unsurprisingly despite being away from home, Lazio are 6/5 favourites with BoyleSports to win the first leg. A Bodo/Glimt victory is priced at 19/10 with the same bookmaker, while a draw is valued at 23/10.
Recent head-to-head: First meeting
As mentioned, Bodo/Glimt and Lazio have never met before, but it should be noted what their respective records are like against teams from the same country. Bodo/Glimt have played Italian teams 11 times in total, only winning three of them, drawing once and losing seven times.
Lazio beat Rosenborg both times when they met in the 2015/16 UEL group stage, winning 5-1 as an aggregate score over the home and away matches.
Players to watch: Hogh do Lazio stop Kasper?
Kasper Hogh scored three times over the two legs against Olympiacos in the last round, and has netted in each of his previous two appearances. He is interestingly priced at 5/2 with BoyleSports to score anytime.
Gustav Isaksen scored the winner for Lazio against Atalanta last time out, and also netted against Plzen in the last-16. Back him at 10/3 with BoyleSports to find the net again on Thursday.
Predicted lineups
Bodo/Glimt have almost a fully-fit squad to choose from, with Daniel Bassi the only notable absentee.
Nicolo Rovella is suspended for Lazio, but Matteo Guendouzi should return from a domestic ban. Patric and Nuno Tavares are injured though, while the game may also come too soon for Taty Castellanos.
Bodo/Glimt: Haikin, Sjovold, Gundersen, Bjortuft, Bjorkan, Evjen, Berg, Saltnes, Blomberg, Hogh, Hauge.
Lazio: Mandas, Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Hysaj, Vecino, Guendouzi, Isaksen, Pedro, Zaccagni, Dia.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Bodo/Glimt at home and with both teams never facing each other before, it is tough to predict exactly how this match is going to go. The Total Goals market looks a wise one to explore, and we are backing Over 3.5 at 11/5 with BoyleSports in what would be an entertaining first leg.
This UEFA Europa League match between Bodo/Glimt and Lazio will be played on and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Bodo/Glimt vs Lazio prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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