Tottenham vs Bodo/Glimt Bet Builder Tips, Betting Preview

Tottenham’s James Maddison has only scored twice in the Europa League this season, but he has been quite consistent at finding the target throughout.

He has averaged 0.85 shots on target per 90 in the competition, more shots on target than anyone likely to start for the Lilywhites in this Europa League semi-final first leg bar Dominic Solanke’s 1.31.

Maddison has had at least one shot on target in four of his last five starts in continental competition, including the last three straight games, and in each of his three home starts in the Europa League this season.

Bodo/Glimt have obviously been fantastic in Europe this season, but they have conceded 17.29 shots per game in the Europa League, as well as 5.71 shots on target per game, numbers which rise to 21.57 shots and 7.14 shots on target per game in their away fixtures. Tottenham should get plenty of chances here, and if the hosts can post similar numbers, Maddison should get at least one shot on target.

Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero is the only Spurs player to have committed a foul in each of his Europa League appearances so far this season. Granted, thanks to injury, he has only played four times in European competition, but he has still fouled seven times in these four games, including four times in his two Europa League games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Since returning from injury, Romero has made nine starts for Spurs in all competitions, committing a foul in eight of these nine. When looking at the Europa League, only Dejan Kulusevski’s 2.43 fouls per 90 is higher than Romero’s 1.75, so we feel confident backing the Argentina international to foul at least once in this semi-final first leg.

He will be up against Bodo/Glimt striker, Kasper Hogh, and left-winger Jens Petter Hauge, who have won 0.51 and 0.94 fouls per 90 in the Europa League so far this season. Romero likes to follow his man up the pitch too, so he can easily be dragged into a duel with midfielders, making it even likelier that he commits at least one foul here.

Kasper Hogh is not only a foul matchup for Cristian Romero, he also looks highly likely to commit a foul himself, having fouled in nine of his last 10 starts for Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, including three games in which he has fouled twice or more.

No player to start more than one game for the Norwegian champions in Europe this season has averaged more fouls than Hogh, who is one of only two regular starters to average over a foul per 90. Hogh averages 1.43 fouls per 90 in the Europa League, and 1.49 fouls per 90 in all competitions so far this season.

The Norwegian Eliteserien has only just returned for the new season, but Hogh has already committed four fouls in his two starts for Bodo/Glimt. Across the whole of last season, he fouled 1.31 times per 90 in all competitions.

Hogh will be up against Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, who average 0.69 and 0.54 fouls won per 90 respectively in all competitions, with Romero looking the most likely to win a foul, having done so in each of his last two Europa League starts.

Destiny Udogie looks like an excellent pick to win a foul here, where he can be backed at a huge price of 1.73, despite winning two or more fouls in four of his last five Europa League starts for the Lilywhites.

The Italy international has won a foul in 13 straight starts for club and country in all competitions, eight of which saw the young left-back fouled twice or more. He averages 1.76 fouls won per 90 in all competitions this season, a number which is only slightly lower in the Europa League, where Udogie averages 1.44 fouls won per 90.

Across 29 starts for Tottenham in all competitions so far this season, the 22-year-old has been fouled in 25, which makes the price of 1.73 for Udogie to be fouled once or more look even stranger.

He will be up against Bodo/Glimt’s Isak Maatta, who has fouled 1.16 times per 90 in the Europa League this season, as well as Fredrik Sjovold at right-back, who has fouled 0.56 times per 90 in the Europa League, with at least one foul in each of his last three starts in European competition.