Aiming to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to five matches, FC Twente will welcome Bodo/Glimt to De Grolsch Veste for a Europa League knockout phase play-off match on Thursday night.
The Tukkers were cruelly denied three points during the final stages of an Eredivisie contest on the weekend, whilst Den Gule Horde wrapped up another domestic crown at the conclusion of 2024.
Match preview
© Imago
Placing third in the 2023-24 edition of the Eredivisie, FC Twente enjoyed their highest league standing for a decade, an achievement that proved enough to eventually earn them a spot in this season's Europa League, battling it out with 35 other clubs in the revamped league phase.
After enduring a six-game winless spell at the beginning of the competition, the Tukkers were heading towards an embarrassing first-round exit ahead of the final two matchdays of the section, before back-to-back victories over Malmo and Besiktas saved the Dutch side's bacon.
Collecting a maximum of six points from their last two contests of the league phase, Joseph Oosting's troops propelled themselves up to 23rd place by the final kick of the ball on gameweek eight, meaning that they qualified for the knockout stages on goal difference, boasting 10 points.
In stark contrast to their struggles in Enschede on European nights, the Tukkers possess a marvellous home record in the Eredivisie this season, with Thursday's hosts joining giants Ajax and PSV Eindhoven as the only clubs who are yet to taste league defeat in front of their respective supporters.
© Imago
Rising from top-flight mediocrity during the 2010s, Bodo/Glimt have firmly established themselves as the dominant force in Norwegian football so far this decade, winning four of the last five Eliteserien titles after lifting their first-ever crown at the end of the 2020 term.
Den Gule Horde clinched the latest of their league titles with a 5-2 battering of Lillestrom on December 1, before enjoying a lengthy winter break prior to matchday seven and eight of the Europa League, with Thursday's visitors collecting four points across battles with Maccabi Tel Aviv and French powerhouses Nice.
Due to their sharing of the spoils against the Ligue 1 outfit last time out, Bodo/Glimt were forced to settle for a ninth-placed finish in the league phase standings, meaning that they missed out on automatic qualification to the round of 16 on goal difference.
A young Danish talent, Kasper Waarts Hogh picked up Den Gule Horde's Golden Boot in the Eliteserien during 2024 and has also impressed on the continental scene for the Norwegians champions, making the net ripple on three occasions across six Europa League appearances to date.
Team News
© Imago
Twente are without the services of Younes Taha, with the 22-year-old suffering a broken leg in the middle of September, ruling him out for an extended period of time.
Scoring the only goal of the contest last time out in the Europa League versus Besiktas, Daan Rots is likely to retain his spot on the right flank for the Tukkers.
With a combined total of 14 Bodo/Glimt appearances to their names, Daniel Bassi and Gaute Hoberg Vetti remain on the sidelines.
Samuel Burakovsky is another man who is occupying a spot in the medical room, with the Swedish winger yet to feature for Den Gule Horde since his summer switch across Scandinavia.
Despite conceding a damaging goal against Nice, the visitors should stick with a reliable centre-back pairing of Jostein Gundersen and Villads Nielsen.
FC Twente possible starting lineup:
Unnerstall; Van Rooij, Bruns, Lagerbielke, Salah-Eddine; Vlap, Sadilek, Rots, Steijn, Ltaief; Van Wolfswinkel
Bodo/Glimt possible starting lineup:
Haikin; Sjovold, Nielsen, Gundersen, Bjorkan; Evjen, Berg, Saltnes; Maatta, Hauge, Hogh
We say: FC Twente 2-1 Bodo/Glimt
Boasting an excellent record at De Grolsch Veste this term, Twente should be confident of putting Bodo/Glimt to the sword on Thursday night.
The Norwegians have taken it to some of the Europa League's biggest sides this term, although we feel that they will suffer a narrow defeat in the first leg.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
