Arsenal v Bodo Glimt: Gunners to claim thrilling victory

Gunners basking in the derby glow

Arsenal's 3-1 North London Derby win over old foes Tottenham wasn't perhaps as convincing as the final scoreline suggested (Spurs had good first-half moments, and had Emerson Royal sent off after the break), but in a way it doesn't really matter. The Gunners have made a table-topping start to the campaign, and that victory against the Lilywhites was tremendous for the confidence of the players and a boost the positivity surrounding the club.

A good start has also been made in the Europa League. A 2-1 win at Zurich was followed by the postponement of the game against PSV because of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Another victory against Bodo Glimt would be a step towards winning the section (only the group winners avoid a Champions League dropout and qualify directly for the last 16).

Arsenal have the depth to rotate their squad for this tournament, and I expect to see the likes of Fabio Vieira, Eddie Nketiah, Kieran Tierney and Marquinhos feature regularly in UEL games. That might be the only way for Arsenal to maintain progress in both competitions. Matt Turner may return in goal, but Emile Smith Rowe, Cedric and Mohamed Elneny are all still out.

Bodo Glimt reaching end of an era

After securing back-to-back Norwegian titles against all the odds, it feels like Bodo Glimt may finally be slowing down. Coach Kjetil Knutsen has done a sensational job (Bodo Glimt had never previously won the league), but losing key players on a regular basis has made his life tough.

Bodo Glimt are 15 points adrift of Molde in the Norwegian title race, and they have won just two of their last six games in the league. In Europe, the champions were edged out by Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League qualifiers, but they have made a super start to the group stage of this competition. They drew 1-1 at PSV and beat Swiss champions Zurich 2-1, putting them in a strong position so far.

Knutsen's men also had some impressive results in Europe last season. They thrashed eventual winners Roma 6-1 in the Conference League group stage, and they overwhelmed Celtic later in the competition, beating them 5-1 over two legs.

Apart from midfielder Sondre Fet, Bodo Glimt have no major injury worries. They looked sharp in the weekend's 4-1 win at Lillestrom, so Knutsen may stick with largely the same side.

Gunners to take entertaining win

Bodo Glimt have scored in every game since a 1-0 defeat at Linfield in July, and I think they'll find the net against an Arsenal side that will probably feature a lot of changes. The Gunners have won their last seven games at the Emirates, and they should be too strong here for their Norwegian opponents.

We can either back BTTS at 1.9420/21, or use the Sportsbook to back Arsenal to win and BTTS at 2.3811/8, and that seems a fair jump.

Steady Eddie worth considering

Eddie Nketiah's form towards the end of last season earned him a new deal with Arsenal, and while he has been edged out of the starting XI by Gabriel Jesus in the Premier League, this competition could be his platform to shine upon.

The Gunners youth product scored on Matchday One against Zurich, and he should lead the attack. You could use the Bet Builder to back an Nketiah goal and Both Teams To Score at 3.17217/100, or simply back him to score at 1.9310/11.