2026-2027 Champions League: Bodo/Glimt vs. NEC, Probable Lineups

Buoyed by their 3-1 victory in the first leg in the Netherlands, Bodo/Glimt will play on Tuesday night for the chance to advance to the Champions League group stage for the second consecutive season. Last year, the team finished in 23rd place before pulling off a surprise upset against Inter and giving Sporting a scare—at least in the first 90 minutes—in the round of 16. Their opponent tonight is NEC Nijmegen, which has never advanced to the group stage of Europe’s top competition: the match takes place at Aspmyra Stadion in Bodø at 9 p.m.

The Norwegians, as is often the case at this stage of the season, can take advantage of their superior form thanks to the Norwegian league schedule, which runs from spring through fall: Having entered the race for a Champions League spot in the third qualifying round, they eliminated Union Saint-Gilloise—though not without difficulty— drawing 3-3 in Belgium and winning 3-2 in extra time in Norway, playing with a man advantage from the start of stoppage time in the second half, with Helmersen’s decisive goal coming just three minutes before the 120th minute.

NEC has not competed in the main phase of a European cup since the 2008–2009 season, when it took part in what was then called the UEFA Cup: on that occasion, they advanced from the group stage alongside Udinese and Tottenham, eliminating Spartak Moscow and Dinamo Zagreb, before being eliminated in the round of 32 by Hamburg. After years of absence, here’s a new opportunity: even if they don’t pull off a comeback against Bodo/Glimt, the club that finished third in last season’s Eredivisie will still qualify for the Europa League.

Probable lineups

BODO/GLIMT (4-3-3): Haikin; Sjovold, Bjortuft, Aleesami, Bjorkan; Auklend, Berg, Fet; Blomberg, Helmersen, Hauge. Coach: Knutsen.

NEC (3-4-2-1): Crettaz; Pereira, Storm, Fonville; Monteiro, Nejasmic, Lebreton, Bischoff; Chery, Tadic; Linssen. Coach: Schreuder.