-
Spurs look vulnerable favs at 1.282/7 to qualify
-
Just two clean sheets in last 32 home PL games tells the story
-
Both Teams To Score the value angle
Tottenham vs Bodo/Glimt
Thursday 1 May, 20:00
Live on TNT Sports
Spurs hot favs to qualify but are odds correct?
It's now or never, mate.
If reports are to be believed, Ange Postecoglou's race is run at Tottenham at the end of the season. It's been another glorified failure under an incredibly engaging and intelligent manager but someone who has failed to make his style of football work consistently.
All that is left for him is the Europa League.
It would be very Spurs to break their major trophy duck but still deem it necessary to sack the manager that took them here. If the Betfair Exchange is to be believed, Spurs have one foot in Bilbao for the final. They can be backed at 1.282/7 to qualify with their Norwegian opponents trading at 4.216/5.
Those prices do seem a little mad to me.
Bodo/Glimt are experienced European campaigners that won't be overawed by these occasions. In the past few seasons, the likes of Porto, Jose Mourinho's Roma, Lazio and a certain Celtic side in 2022 managed by Postecoglou have all been knocked out by Kjetil Knutsen's team, who are full of spirit and carry a dangerous way of playing football.
This will not be as easy for Spurs as those qualification odds suggest.
BTTS is a profitable trend in Spurs home matches
The price for the underdogs to qualify is really tempting as if they can stay within one goal for this first leg where they don't have key men like Patrick Berg, Hakon Evjen and Andreas Helmersen, I think they'll have a big advantage in the second leg on their artificial pitch. Any team that can play with unity and are drilled defensively stand great chances against such a limp and predictable team like Spurs, who have lost 10 of their last 15 Premier League games.
Yes, the big guns are back like Micky Van der Ven but this looks like a squad that checked out on the manager's beliefs a long time ago and I'm not sure they'll have the required motivation to get through this tie against a very spirited and dangerous team in forward areas.
For Thursday, the bet that really appeals is the both teams to score angle at 1.910/11 on the Betfair Exchange.
It's almost an automatic play in any Spurs game and is so appealing here at the odds chalked up, It's so generous based on Tottenham's horrendous defensive record at home.
They've kept just two clean sheets in their last 32 Premier League home games whilst only the bottom three in the Premier League have conceded more "big chances" - a metric defined by Opta - than Tottenham. You name a terrible team and you can guarantee they scored against Tottenham away from home. Southampton? Yes. Leicester? Yes. Ipswich? Yes.
The Norwegian champions have scored in 13 of 14 Europa League games this season. They can do so again.
Back BTTS in Spurs v Bodo/Glimt
Now read all of our latest football previews & tips from our team of experts
Recommended bets
Back Both Teams To Score @ 1.9010/11Max Liu's Build Up Tips
Back Solanke to score more than Johnson
In the first leg of this Europa League semi-final, Tottenham will want to give themselves a lead to take to Norway for next week's second leg.
Dominic Solanke will almost certainy lead the hosts' attack and, after scoring the goal that got Spurs into the last four, he will be their biggest goal threat. Solanke also scored Spurs' goal in Sunday's 5-1 defeat to Liverpool. The goal against Frankfurt was Solanke's first since January. Three times this season he has scored in consecutive matches for Tottenham which indicates that he is a player for whom confidence and momentum are crucial.
Solanke has scored three goals in this tournament this season, as has his teammate Brennan Johnson, but Solanke is the more certain starter and, after slotting home from the spot in Frankfurt, should be on penalty duties again. That's why we are prepared to back Solanke at 7/52.40 to score more than Johnson in a Match Up.
Back Solanke to score more than Johnson