Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 19/20
Bookmaker: 888sport
Legia Warsaw are set to play host to Bodo/Glimt at the Polish Army Stadium (Stadion Wojska Polskiego) in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday evening, in what will be the second leg of the first round of the Champions League qualifications for the upcoming season. The Polish side came away victorious from the first leg, winning 2-3 in Norway.
Luquinhas opened the scoring in the second minute and Mahir Emreli doubled the lead in the 41st, before Erik Botheim pulled one back for the Norwegians in the stoppage time of the first half. Emreli scored again just after the hour-mark, and the final score was set by Pernambuco who struck for Bodo/Glimt in the 78th.
Legia Warsaw
Legia won the Ekstraklasa title in 2020-21, finishing five points ahead of second-place Rakow, and earned a place in these qualifications that way. Following the completion of the league campaign, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Polish Cup at the hands of Piast Gliwice back in March, and before the first leg against Bodo/Glimt last week, that was the last competitive match they had taken part in.
They did, however, play a series of friendlies in the meantime. They smashed Austrian Regional League side Bischofshofen by 5-0, lost to Ferencvaros of Hungary by 0-2, and drew 1-1 with Russian Krasondar. All three matches were played in Austria, followed by a 3-2 triumph over Lechia Gdansk at home, and 2-0 win over Jagiellonia at the BoniFaCio Spa & Sport Resort.
Team News
Between the posts, manager Czeslaw Michniewicz has a name well-known to those following the English or the Scottish Premier League in 41-year-old former Celtic and Southampton goalkeeper Artur Boruc. On the other side of the age span, Legia have in their ranks a 19-year-old wing-back by the name of Kacper Skibicki, who assisted twice in the first leg.
The Polish team had no injury issues for the first leg and they have none now, which means Michniewicz is likely to pick the same lineup again.
Bodo/Glimt
Bodo/Glimt won the Norwegian Eliteserien in 2020 in a convincing manner, finishing the campaign 19 points above Molde in second place.
There are two ways to look at the fact that the 2021 season in Norway is in full swing at the moment. It means that, unlike Legia, Bodo/Glimt are already fully geared up for competitive fixtures. On the other hand, they don’t have the luxury of concentrating solely on these qualifications at the moment, which Legia do.
Be that as it may, the last-six record of this team is bag of mixed results. They drew 1-1 away to Valerenga, lost to Molde at home by 0-2, beat Stabaek at home by 4-1, lost 1-0 away to Sandefjord, drew 2-2 at home against Viking, before losing the first leg to Legia.
As for the Eliteserien table right now, Bodo/Glimt are second with 24 points from 13 games, five less than Molde at the top and three more than Valerenga in third.
Team News
Unlike Michniewicz, manager Kjetil Knutsen will have to make do without several players. Forwards Sondre Sorli and Victor Boniface are out for a while with serious knee injuries. Winger Ola Solbakken is coming close to returning from a shoulder issue, but he isn’t likely to be ready for this one.
Midfielder Morten Konradsen is suspended for the red card he earned in the 82nd minute of the first leg.
Conclusion
Legia proved their superiority in Norway, and they’re very likely to wrap the tie up with another win in Warsaw.
Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 19/20
Bookmaker: 888sport
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