Bodo/Glimt vs Sporting Lisbon Preview: Can Bodo Cause Another Champions League Upset?

Bodo/Glimt will host Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash.

Glimt have only played five competitive games in 2026 due to their league season finishing back in November. This scheduling helps the Norwegian league avoid the harsh winter conditions that the country experiences.

Despite the long break domestically, the Norwegian side have been in fantastic form in Europe, having beaten Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in their final two league phase matches. Glimt also produced a shock result when they knocked out Italian giants Inter Milan 5–2 on aggregate in the play-offs.

Sporting themselves enjoyed an impressive league phase, finishing 7th, above several recent winners of the competition including Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. The Portuguese side also produced a notable victory when they defeated reigning champions PSG 2–1 in Lisbon on 20 January.

First Ever Meeting Between the Clubs

These two teams have never faced each other in any competition, meaning there is no historical reference point to predict how this matchup might unfold.

This is also the first time in Bodo/Glimt’s history that the Norwegian club has reached the Round of 16 stage of the UEFA Champions League, placing them firmly in uncharted territory.

Team News

Due to being in their off-season, Bodo/Glimt head into this game with no injuries or suspensions, meaning head coach Kjetil Knutsen has a fully available squad to choose from.

Sporting Lisbon, however, will be without four first-team players for the first leg.

Star winger Pedro Gonçalves is suspended after accumulating too many yellow cards. The Portuguese international has been one of Sporting’s standout performers this season, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 16 domestic matches, meaning his absence will certainly be felt.

Sporting will also be without:

• Geovany Quenda

• Ricardo Mangas

• Giorgi Kochorashvili

All three players remain sidelined through injury.

A Rare Opportunity for Both Clubs

Both sides may have felt optimistic when they discovered they would face each other in this round, considering neither club was widely expected to progress this far in the competition at the start of the season.

With a place in the Champions League quarter-finals at stake, the first leg in Norway could prove decisive.

Predicted Lineups

Bodo/Glimt

Nikita Haikin

Fredrik Sjovold

Odin Bjortuft

Jostein Gundersen

Fredrik Bjorkan

Hakon Evjen

Patrick Berg

Sondre Fet

Ole Blomberg

Jens Hauge

Kasper Hogh

Sporting Lisbon

Rui Silva

Ivan Fresneda

Ousmane Diomande

Goncalo Inacio

Maxi Araujo

Morton Hjulmand

Hidemasa Morita

Luis Guilherme

Trincao

Geny Catamo

Luis Suarez