Bodo/Glimt – Inter

The snow falls quietly between the houses up north. You can see the snowflakes in the light of the streetlights where they hit the ground. The wind howls around the corners of the houses, and it's bitterly cold as soon as you step out the door. You still lace up your shoes, put on your biggest down jacket, and sling your bag over your shoulder. The short drive up to Nordlandshallen isn't long enough to even get any warmth in the car. Once there, you stroll into the locker room, change into your workout clothes, and as you're about to go out for the first training session of the day, it dawns on you. You're playing for a team that beat Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the space of a week. Two of the very best football teams in the world. Beaten. Defeated by intense Vikings with one goal in mind – To clinch a place among the last 16 in this year's Champions League. An unparalleled demonstration of power if they succeed, a massive setback if it stops here. Inter from the fashion capital, Milan, stands in the way. A team that tops their domestic league, and that reached the final of the tournament last year. But, weren't they crushed when it mattered most then? You smile to yourself. Here you are with the snow flurries on all sides and comparing yourself and your teammates to PSG. This will be a match for the history books, and as everyone now knows, the home match is where it could potentially explode. Didn't Erling and Pep just go home from here after a real overhaul? Let these Italians come, let them taste artificial turf and cold noses. Let them have a leg of chicken in sub-zero temperatures, and let the wind play tricks on them. Bodø/Glimt can handle anything – just try!

Bodø/Glimt – The team that is not just a surprise

For the yellow-clad are no longer just a team that performs beyond their means. No one beats Manchester City, then travels to the cauldron in Madrid and wins again. If you are to achieve this feat, you must have something more than effort to show for it. You must possess qualities that can be tested for a full 90 minutes, and you must be able to recreate it all shortly afterwards. In these matches, you are quickly undressed if your qualities do not harmonize with the level you are trying to gain a foothold at, and for Bodø/Glimt, it is the icing on the cake that you are trying to reach. Here are only the best of the best, and if you are to be mentioned in the same terms as these clubs, you must also beat the best. You have done that, and now you are at the last hurdle. You must beat Inter over two matches – and the foundation is laid on the artificial turf in the north.

The home team must, as I said, get a good starting point before the return leg in Milan. Well, they beat Atletico Madrid away, but it wasn't easy, and it won't be easy to punish strategically smart Italians on their own turf. It will be a great advantage to get on the plane with the best conditions possible.

B/G can easily achieve that. Inter have lost to Arsenal, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid in this year's edition, and it won't be a huge bombshell anymore if they also have a hard time against the Norwegians. Regardless of whether it's Tottenham, Monaco or Dortmund, Knutsen's team has been competitive. They have managed to turn the fact that the Norwegian season has not started yet into a competitive advantage, and the time until the start of the match seems to be used incredibly wisely and effectively. The yellows are going into these matches full of energy, and if anyone thought the timing would suffer from a few matches, that hasn't been the case. All credit to the coaching team who have managed to hit the right level of fire.

No injuries of any value to mention. Kjetil Knutsen can pick and choose, and then we know what's coming. Inter knows that too. The only question is whether it matters, that knowledge, because here both effort, quality, pitch conditions and home crowd will be perfected. That's the level, and there's Bodø/Glimt in 2026.

Inter – Solid Italians, but not perfect

As I said, Inter got a lesson from PSG last year. The final was one of the most uneven in many years, and they barely had time to borrow the ball at the Allianz Arena. With 0-5 in the bag, there was not much that indicated that they had anything to do there. But, Inter were good in Europe last year. Several very strong performances, and with offensive full-backs who constantly questioned the opponent's structure. This year has been a little different. They are not as compact and uncompromising anymore, and it seems that they can clap together if they are not having a good day. A bit like it did that May evening last year. Bodø/Glimt away is not necessarily ideal for a team that has everything to lose.

In the domestic league, Inter is dominant this season. Clearly the best, and with a gap at the top. The latest results have been good, and especially the 3-2 victory over Juventus at the weekend tasted good. In fact, they have now won their last six in all competitions, and the goals are also looser. Inter is in good shape heading into the decisive matches against the Vikings from the north of the continent.

It has been primarily in Europe that things have been a bit sluggish. Both Liverpool and Arsenal deservedly won against the Italians, and there was no denying that Atletico drew the longest straw in that duel. Inter have appeared weaker defensively, and if Thuram and Martinez are not having their day, their offensive contributions are also suffering. At least that has been the case in Europe. In the cold in Bodø, guys like Akanji, Dimarco and Bastoni have to get involved, because if they don't, there will be a lot of shots against Sommer. And if there's one thing we know, it's that football in February near the Arctic Circle doesn't go particularly well with Sommer. There are probably some Italians who get on the plane fearing that King Winter will have the last word this Wednesday evening.

Conclusion – No room for respect

Bodø/Glimt must consider whether this is going to work. Nothing is given at the door, and even though the home team has a big advantage of artificial turf and weather, Inter should not be underestimated either. One special thing to say, perhaps, is that Bodø/Glimt must not underestimate the big team from Italy, but that could be a small pitfall. The yellow and black must hit the ground running just as well as they have this winter, and you must not think for a second that Inter cannot play football on a fast artificial turf surface, or with snowflakes in their hair. These are quality players in every way.

What speaks in favor of the home team, however, is the momentum. They won in a sense already when they made it through the qualifying round, while Inter, on the other hand, messed things up a bit. Top eight was of course the goal in that camp, and the fact that they didn't manage to do this was a bit of a letdown. Now they have to fight against this somewhat unpredictable team over two 90-minute matches, and it's not a given that they will come out victorious either. Bodø/Glimt goes into these two matches with everything to win, and that alone could actually be the deciding factor in the end.

Jens Petter Hauge, Kasper Høgh, Ole Blomberg and Håkon Evjen. These four will get opportunities on Wednesday. The way Hauge played at home against Manchester City is exactly how he has to appear again now. The blond is a character, and it is certainly not always easy to calibrate this man correctly towards kick-off. But something is clearly being done correctly, because at times the dribbler appears as one of the better wingers in Europe. Hauge is playing both for advancement for his beloved club, as well as a place among Ståle's selected players for the summer. Kasper Høgh is the man Inter must stop. As of now, I am holding a button that they will not succeed 100%.

If we sum this up, take off the Norwegian glasses, look at the numbers behind it, consider the likely outcomes, then we still tip the scales a little in favor of the home team. There are more aspects that speak for than against, and knowing that you can repair a lot at home in Italy, Inter will probably be able to live well with both a draw and a narrow loss. Bodø/Glimt for their part will just have to go for it, perhaps not completely uncritically, as they have actually done well away from home as well, but at least put Sommer to as many tests as they can. The outcome could be another night of jubilation in the north, and a very exciting return match in Milan.

Europe at 21:00: Bodø/Glimt – Inter: 1X (2.20)

Alternative game

Europe at 21:00: Bodø/Glimt – Inter: Both teams to score + Over 2.5 goals (1.88)