Bodø/Glimt vs Lille: can the Norwegian champions pile more Champions League misery on Lille?

Bodø/Glimt host Lille in Norway on Tuesday, with the hosts looking to bounce back from defeat against Napoli and deepen the visitors' European struggles.

The Norwegian champions have once again impressed in the Champions League, despite collecting just three points from their opening three fixtures.

After suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat against Bayern Munich, Kjetil Knutsen's side responded with an impressive 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund before narrowly losing 4-3 to Napoli in an entertaining encounter.

Their performances have demonstrated that they can compete with Europe's established sides, particularly at home, where they have already beaten the likes of Inter Milan and Manchester City this calendar year.

Bodø/Glimt will therefore see Tuesday's fixture as an important opportunity to collect three points, especially with more favourable fixtures against LASK and Lens still to come.

Meanwhile, Lille have endured a disappointing start to their European campaign under Davide Ancelotti, losing all three of their opening Champions League matches.

Defeats against Real Betis, Arsenal and Galatasaray have left the French side near the bottom of the league-phase table, making qualification increasingly difficult.

Their domestic form has been considerably better, with Lille sitting second in Ligue 1, just two points behind Paris Saint-Germain after nine matches.

Their latest outing ended in a 1-0 victory over rivals Lens in the Derby du Nord, with Olivier Giroud scoring a late winner.

However, goals remain a concern for Ancelotti, with his side scoring just 12 times in the league this season. 

They will need to be considerably more clinical if they are to trouble a Bodø/Glimt side that have proved particularly dangerous on home soil.

Previous meetings:

Tuesday's encounter will be the first competitive meeting between the two clubs, with neither side having faced the other in European competition before.

Bodø/Glimt will be confident of making home advantage count, having already demonstrated their ability to trouble some of Europe's biggest clubs in Norway.

Team news: 

Bodø/Glimt will be without Håkon Evjen and August Mikkelsen, who are both expected to remain sidelined until at least mid-November.

Ole Didrik Blomberg has returned to full fitness and could feature from the start alongside Jens Petter Hauge and Andreas Helmersen, who both found the net against Napoli.

Lille will be without Ethan Mbappé, who serves the final match of his suspension following his dismissal against Real Betis. Ayase Ueda and Hamza Igamane are also expected to miss out through injury.

Olivier Giroud is likely to lead the attack after his winner against Lens, while Nabil Bentaleb and captain Benjamin André should provide experience in midfield.

Predicted line-ups:

Bodø/Glimt predicted XI (4-3-3): Nikita Haikin; Fredrik Sjøvold, Jostein Gundersen, Odin Bjørtuft, Fredrik Bjørkan; Sondre Auklend, Patrick Berg, Håkon Evjen; Jens Petter Hauge, Andreas Helmersen, Ole Didrik Blomberg.

Lille predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Berke Özer; Thomas Meunier, Aïssa Mandi, Alexsandro, Calvin Verdonk; Benjamin André, Nabil Bentaleb; Gaëtan Perrin, Ngal'ayel Mukau, Osame Sahraoui; Olivier Giroud.

Both sides have plenty to play for, but Bodø/Glimt will fancy their chances of taking advantage of Lille's European struggles and making another statement on home soil.