Preview: Bodo/Glimt vs. Sturm Graz - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Champions League clash between Bodo/Glimt and Sturm Graz, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

History-seeking Bodo/Glimt welcome Sturm Graz to Aspmyra Stadion on Wednesday, aiming to put themselves in a strong position in the Champions League playoff round before next week's second leg in Klagenfurt.

Last season's Europa League semi-finalists are vying to reach the continent's top-tier club competition proper for the first time, while their Austrian opponents are bidding to progress to the restructured league phase for the second consecutive year.

Match preview

Kjetil Knutsen's team now need just two positive results to qualify for the Champions League group stage, a feat that would delight supporters who, only a few months ago, saw their team reach the Europa League semi-finals.

Although their historic run was halted by eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur, the Norwegian champions could make history again by competing in Europe’s premier club competition in the 2025-26 season.

The Super Team are involved at this stage by winning the 2024 Eliteserien, and they have another opportunity to reach the pinnacle of European football, following a narrow 3-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Red Star Belgrade at the same qualifying stage last year.

Despite securing a 2-1 victory at home, Bodo suffered a 2-0 defeat away, a result that might have been different had the Norwegian side not let the Serbian team reduce the advantage with 15 minutes remaining.

With an extraordinary feat potentially within reach, fans of the Super Team will hope their side can put last year's disappointment behind them and take a healthy lead into next week's return leg in Austria.

Standing in their way are Sturm Graz, who are eager to rectify the perceived failures of last season’s run in the revamped competition, which saw the Blacks finish 30th out of 36 teams in the league phase.

As a result of that position, Die Schwoazn failed to join the top eight clubs to qualify automatically or to finish between ninth and 24th to enter a knockout playoff to determine the remaining clubs in the last 16.

Nevertheless, two of Sturm Graz's two wins from eight matches came after Jurgen Samuel's appointment in November 2024 — he won 50% of his four games in charge — demonstrating some capability at managing at the highest level of European football.

Keen to prove that last year's victories over RB Leipzig and Girona were no fluke, Samuel, who might have preferred the complete league phase of eight games rather than just four, is just two positive results away from securing consecutive European campaigns for the Austrian club.

Despite the travelling supporters entering Wednesday with optimism — thanks to a run of just one loss in four competitive games after an unbeaten pre-season — the Blacks’ fans will be aware of their hosts' undefeated streak since late June, which has seen them claim seven wins from nine league matches, with points dropped only in 1-1 draws against Kristiansund and Tromso.

Those results not only highlight Bodo’s goal-scoring form but also their ongoing consistency, raising serious questions about the visiting Austrian club.

Bodo/Glimt form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

D

W

Sturm Graz form (all competitions):

W

W

L

W

Team News

Ole Didrik Blomberg has not featured for Bodo since their win at Viking on July 19, meaning the five-goal man in the league could again miss out on Wednesday.

Additional home injuries include Jostein Gundersen and Mathias Jorgensen, both of whom are expected to be sidelined until late August.

While Blomberg’s absence would be felt, Kasper Hogh remains Glimt’s main threat, having scored 16 league goals — nine more than Ulrik Saltnes, who has seven — and also providing five assists, highlighting his dual danger as scorer and creator.

As for their Austrian opponents, Samuel may have to do without Axel Kayombo (ankle), Alexandar Borkovic (knee) and Daniil Khudyakov (wrist).

Having scored in all three league games this season, Otar Kiteishvili aims to carry his league form into Europe, as the four-goal midfielder seeks to add to his tally.

Bodo/Glimt possible starting lineup:

Haikin; Sjovold, Bjortuft, Aleesami, Bjorkan; Evjen, Berg, Saltnes; Maatta, Hogh, Hauge

Sturm Graz possible starting lineup:

Christensen; Johnston, Oermann, Lavalee, Karic; Horvat, Stankovic, Chukwuani; Kiteishvili; Grgic, Boving

We say: Bodo/Glimt 2-1 Sturm Graz

While some might suggest nerves due to past failures could cause a dip in performance, both the Norwegian champions and Sturm Graz’s willingness to score regularly points towards an engaging contest on Wednesday.

With Hogh scoring five goals in his last three appearances this month, and Kiteishvili netting four in three league matches to start the season, both players could be pivotal in the first leg in Bodo.

Nevertheless, we back the Norwegian champions, who have more competitive match action under their belt, to secure a narrow victory ahead of the reverse fixture on August 26.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Anthony Brown Written by

No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to read article