UEFA Champions League Preview: Napoli vs Bodo/Glimt – Team News, Lineups & Prediction
Out-of-sorts Napoli will try to get off the mark in this season’s UEFA Champions League when they take on Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night. There’s little margin for error if last season’s Serie A runners-up are to reach the knockout stages after losing their opening two league-phase outings.
After a disheartening 1-0 home loss to Arsenal on matchday one, Massimiliano Allegri’s side slumped to a dismal 3-1 defeat at Villarreal last time out. With high-profile clashes against Porto and Manchester City waiting around the corner, this showdown has all the makings of a ‘must-win’ affair for the Partenopei, whose recent form cannot inspire confidence.
Serie A basement boys Venezia stunned Napoli on Saturday, securing a narrow 1-0 win on Davide Nicola’s touchline debut. In doing so, they halted an 84-year drought in this fixture and condemned Allegri’s charges to a fifth loss in their last eight matches across all competitions (W2, D1).
Napoli’s recent struggles must be music to Kjetil Knutsen’s ears, especially after his team clinched a precious 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the previous round. It was a perfect response to an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at Bayern Munich on the opening day, rekindling their hopes of progressing into the knockout stages for the second season on the trot.
Match Preview
Napoli
Allegri’s job is hanging by a thread after yet another disappointment in Serie A, and anything other than a win here would only heighten the pressure on the former Milan boss. However, the veteran manager has fared terribly in the Champions League of late, losing eight of his last nine games (W1), which paints an ever bleaker picture for Napoli ahead of this ‘make or break’ encounter.
In fact, Allegri’s five-game losing streak in the Champions League is the worst ever by an Italian manager in Europe’s elite club competition. Given Allegri’s awful record on the continental scene, it’s not beyond imagination that Napoli could lose three consecutive home games in major European competitions for the first time in the club’s history.
It’s not all doom and gloom for Napoli ahead of their return to the Diego Maradona Stadium, where they’ve won their last two competitive matches without conceding. Indeed, they got the better of Bodo/Glimt in both legs in the 1976/77 Cup Winners’ Cup, keeping a clean sheet on each occasion.
Bodo/Glimt
Bodo/Glimt could not have imagined a worse way to kick off their second consecutive Champions League campaign as Bayern Munich put them to the sword in the first round. However, a gutsy home victory over Dortmund on matchday two marked their sixth win at Europe’s top table in 2026, accounting for the most triumphs by a Norwegian side in a single calendar year in the competition.
Despite facing long odds in Naples, Knutsen’s side can draw confidence from their superb away form. They have won six of their last eight road matches in all competitions (L2). Furthermore, the Norwegian giants have gone unbeaten in six of their last eight Champions League games on hostile turf (W3, D3, L3), reinforcing their hopes of staging an upset here.
Visiting Italy remains a tough proposition for Bodo/Glimt despite their stunning win against Inter in last season’s opening knockout round. Indeed, their overall record against Serie A clubs in major European competitions reads negatively (W6, D1, L9), and a pair of losses to upcoming rivals Napoli has its merits.
Team News
Brazilian winger Alisson Santos could be joining David Neres, Antonio Vergara, Costantino Favasuli, and Alessandro Buongiorno on the sidelines after picking up an injury against Venezia last weekend. His potential absence is likely to force Allegri to switch Napoli’s formation again, with the Partenopei expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1. After being benched at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, Kevin De Bruyne, who missed a crucial second-half penalty, and Rasmus Hojlund should both return to the starting XI.
On the other hand, Bodo/Glimt will arrive in Naples without Hakon Evjen and August Mikkelsen, who are still on the treatment table. Odin Bjortuft returns to the fold after serving a one-game ban against Dortmund, while former Milan forward Jens Petter Hauge is likely to regain his place in the starting lineup after being rested in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Ham-Kam.
Napoli vs Bodo/Glimt Potential Starting Lineups
Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Marin, Rrahmani, Badiashile; Di Lorenzo, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Politano, De Bruyne; Hojlund.
Bodo/Glimt (4-3-3): Khaikin; Sjovold, Gundersen, Aleesami, Bjorkan; Auklend, Berg, Fet; Blomberg, Helmersen, Hauge.
Napoli vs Bodo/Glimt Prediction
With Allegri walking a tightrope and Napoli standing on the brink of an early Champions League collapse, the hosts will take the field heavily pressured to bounce back from last weekend’s fiasco in Venice. Bodo/Glimt are not to be trifled with, but we can envisage a narrow win for the home side.
Prediction: Napoli to Win
