With one hesitant foot in the Europa League final, Tottenham Hotspur travel to Norway to face Bodo/Glimt at Aspmyra Stadion for the second leg of their semi-final tie on Thursday night.
Spurs secured a 3-1 first-leg victory in North London last week, with Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke getting their names on the scoresheet. However, a late consolation from Ulrik Saltnes has given Bodo/Glimt a glimmer of hope.
With the second leg set to be played on a plastic pitch, Ange Postecoglou’s side are in for a tricky ride against the Norwegian champions, who have had a full week to rest and prepare for their latest European fixture.
Tottenham Team News
James Maddison has been ruled out of the trip to Bodo/Glimt with a serious knee injury. Son Heung-min has failed to recover from a foot injury and remains unavailable for selection, but Dominic Solanke is fully fit and has been included in the travelling squad.
Predicted Tottenham lineup vs Bodo/Glimt (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Guglielmo Vicario will hope to shut the shop as quickly as possible to bolster Tottenham’s hopes of getting a result against Bodo/Glimt. On such a big European night, he cannot afford to make any errors.
Defence
Cristian Romero and Micky van den Ven were afforded a breather in the 1-1 Premier League draw with West Ham at the weekend, remaining unused substitutes. They are certain to be restored to the starting XI, and Romero and Van de Ven have to manage the moments in the game very well.
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie should be the full-backs, replacing Archie Gray and Djed Spence at right-back and left-back, respectively, from the West Ham game. The Tottenham full-backs must show maturity with their decision-making on and off the ball.
Midfield
Dejan Kulusevski will likely fill the creative void left by the injured Maddison in the Tottenham engine room. The Swede should link up with Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr in midfield, and if Spurs are to get a positive result in Norway, they have to be smart in and out of possession.
Yves Bissouma and Archie Gray should offer cover for the midfield position from the bench.
Attack
Dominic Solanke missed the game at West Ham with a minor knee issue but is fit to spearhead the Tottenham attack on Thursday. The England international will be flanked by Brennan Johnson and Mathys Tel. They have to link up very well in the final third and cause problems for the home side’s defence.
Wilson Odobert will be a potent attacking option to bring off the bench against a tiring Bodo/Glimt defence.
