Sporting Lisbon vs. Bodo/Glimt – News and Probable Lineups

Sporting Lisbon faces a challenging task to keep their Champions League hopes alive as they host Bodo/Glimt at Estadio Jose Alvalade for the second leg of their round-of-16 fixture on Tuesday evening.

The Lions were overwhelmed during the first leg in Norway last Wednesday, suffering a 3-0 defeat in the inaugural encounter between the two teams.

Match overview

In a first leg of the round of 16 where Bayern Munich was the sole visiting team to achieve victory, Sporting fell victim to one of four away losses and now requires a significant turnaround to continue their European journey.

Joining Premier League clubs like Chelsea (who were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain), Tottenham Hotspur (who lost against Atletico Madrid), and Manchester City (who fell to Real Madrid) in needing to overturn a three-goal deficit, the Lions have a bit of historical motivation to look back on.

The Lisbon side previously bounced back from a three-goal deficit in UEFA competition, achieving a 5-4 aggregate victory over Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the 1963-64 Cup Winners’ Cup, following a sensational 5-0 triumph in the second leg.

Sporting remains hopeful of orchestrating a similar comeback, especially given their strong home record at Jose Alvalade, where they have triumphed in 17 of their last 18 matches—winning all four in the league stage—ten of which were by three goals or more.

The Lions have also won all three previous UEFA home encounters with Norwegian teams, maintaining clean sheets in each, which should bolster their confidence as they approach this match fresh off a weekend off due to their league fixture against Tondela being postponed.

Bodo/Glimt is also making their return to the pitch for the first time since last Wednesday’s match in Norway, which saw them take a commanding lead thanks to a penalty from Sondre Fet in the 36th minute, Ole Blomberg’s goal before halftime, and Kasper Hogh’s goal in the second half.

This win marks the fifth consecutive Champions League victory for the Scandinavian side, who, in their first season in the competition, demonstrated their resurgence during the latter stages of the league phase by earning a draw against Borussia Dortmund and defeating both Manchester City and Atletico Madrid to secure a playoff spot.

After ousting Inter de Milão over two legs in that round, it would be unsurprising if Kjetil Knutsen’s squad capitalizes on their current advantage as they seek to become the first Norwegian team to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament since Rosenborg in 1996-97.

Additionally, Glimt can take heart from the fact that they have succeeded in all five of the previous UEFA two-legged ties where they established a three-goal first-leg advantage at home, and their formidable attack offers further confidence ahead of their trip on Tuesday.

Glimt has managed to score at least twice in nine of their last eleven Champions League games and heads to Lisbon after scoring exactly two goals in each of their last five competitive away matches, winning four of them.

Team News

Sporting had some crucial players out due to suspension during the first leg but will welcome back Maximiliano Araujo and Pedro Goncalves, as both have completed their one-match bans.

On the other hand, Fotis Ioannidis and Ricardo Mangas remain unavailable as they recover from knee injuries, while Chelsea-bound winger Geovany Quenda continues his rehabilitation from foot surgery.

Luis Suarez has netted three goals in his past two Champions League appearances at Jose Alvalade, and the Colombian forward will again be a key figure in the attack as he leads the line on Tuesday.

Also in fine form for Glimt in this elite European competition, Hogh has scored five times in his last five matches and aims to continue that streak in Lisbon.

Manager Knutsen has maintained the same lineup for each of the last five continental matches and is likely to stick with the same starting XI here, featuring Ole Didrik Blomberg, Jens Petter Hauge, and Hogh in the attacking roles once more.

Sporting Lisbon probable starting XI:

Haikin; Sjovold, Bjortuft, Gundersen, Bjorkan; Evjen, Berg, Fet; Blomberg, Hogh, Hauge

Bodo/Glimt probable starting XI:

Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Inacio, Araujo; Hjulmand, Morita; Catamo, Trincao, Goncalves; Suarez

Glimt has shown their ability to compete against top-tier opponents even away from home, as evidenced by their wins over Atletico and Inter, so it wouldn’t be shocking if they managed to challenge Sporting again on Tuesday.

Consequently, keeping the Super Team at bay for the entire match might pose a challenge, although the hosts can still achieve victory considering their remarkable home record at Jose Alvalade—even if it doesn’t guarantee their progression.