Linfield and Bodo/Glimt will aim to move one step closer to the Champions League group stages when they lock horns in the first leg of their second-round qualifying battle on Tuesday night.
The Northern Irish champions saw off The New Saints 2-1 on aggregate in round one, while the visitors to Windsor Park survived a scare against KI Klaksvik to advance 4-1.
Match preview
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Up until the 94th minute of Linfield's first-round second leg battle with The New Saints, the Blues faithful were surely preparing for the inevitability that their side would fall at the first hurdle for the fourth year running.
Down 1-0 on aggregate, Linfield forced extra time in the second leg through Jamie Mulgrew's effort deep into second-half stoppage time, and fellow substitute Ethan Devine would fire home in the 95th minute to keep the Northern Irish giants alive in Europe's top tier.
Such a valiant showing clearly galvanised David Healy's squad for a recent friendly with H&W Welders, as Linfield took after their previously prolific manager to win 8-1 in that exhibition game on Saturday to further increase morale ahead of their NIFL Premiership title defence.
Playing in the second round of Champions League qualifying for the first time since the 2017-18 season, Linfield now possess the opportunity to make it round three in Europe's elite competition for the first time ever, but their continental campaign will remain alive in the Europa League should they come out second best here.
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Bodo/Glimt's Nigerian target man Victor Boniface had seemingly steered his side into the second round of Champions League qualifying with a first-leg hat-trick against KI Klaksvik, but the Faroe Islands champions threatened quite the comeback one week later.
Jakup Andreasen's brace and a 12th-minute opener from Mads Boe Mikkelsen gave the hosts a glimmer of a phenomenal turnaround, but Boniface netted once again from the spot to ensure that his side would advance 4-3 on aggregate.
Kjetil Knutsen's men made their task of reaching the second round far more difficult than it should have been, but they returned to winning ways with a 2-0 Eliteserien success over Hamarkameratene at the weekend thanks to Amahl Pellegrino's late brace off the bench.
Last season's Europa Conference League quarter-finalists have already ensured that they will post their best-ever finish in Champions League qualifying this term - losing to Legia Warsaw in the first round in 2021-22 - but they already have some ground to make up in the 2022 Norwegian top flight as they are five points adrift of Molde and Lillestrom.
Linfield and Bodo/Glimt will be locking horns for the first time ever in competitive action this week, and the winners of this two-legged tie will learn the fate of their potential third-round opponents on Monday.
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Team News
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Linfield had already made all of their allocated changes in the second leg with The New Saints before Joel Cooper was stretchered off with a muscular problem, as the hosts saw out the final 10 minutes with 10 men.
Cooper's calf injury is expected to rule him out for up to six weeks, so either Jordan Stewart or goalscorer Devine could now be drafted into a largely unaltered Linfield starting lineup.
Matthew Clarke and Chris Shields must tread lightly, though, as the pair will miss the second leg in Norway if they pick up bookings on Tuesday.
As for Bodo/Glimt, attacker Ola Solbakken is still struggling with a shoulder injury and is expected to miss out, but the Norwegian champions should otherwise be well-stocked for the first leg.
Boniface was dropped to the bench for the weekend's domestic win but should certainly force his way back into the lineup over Runar Espejord, while two-goal hero Pellegrino is threatening to displace Sondre Sorli.
Linfield possible starting lineup:
Johns; Finlayson, Hall, Roscoe, Clarke; Mulgrew, Shields, Fallon; Millar, McKee, Stewart
Bodo/Glimt possible starting lineup:
Haikin; Wembangomo, Amundsen, Hoibraten, Sampsted; Saltnes, Hagen, Vetlesen; Pellegrino, Boniface, Mugisha
We say: Linfield 0-2 Bodo/Glimt
While Linfield were on the right end of an astonishing comeback in their first-round second leg, Bodo/Glimt could have very well been battling for their place in the Conference League, and Knutsen will be determined to avoid any similar scares from here on in.
The hosts will be as dogged on the defensive side as ever, but losing Cooper in the manner in which they did was a bitter blow, and we can only back Bodo/Glimt to claim a healthy first-leg lead.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
