Nice’s disappointing European campaign has been a harsh lesson for the French side, who will wrap up the group stage with a home fixture against Bodø/Glimt. Meanwhile, the Norwegian club have revived their hopes of breaking into the top eight with back-to-back wins and must take risks in France.
An away defeat to Elfsborg (0:1) marked Nice’s fourth loss in their last five Europa League matches. They are one of only three teams in the tournament yet to secure a single victory, alongside Ludogorets Razgrad and Dynamo Kyiv. However, they gained some momentum with an impressive win over Marseille (2:0) at the weekend, where Badredine Bouanani recorded a goal and an assist, taking his January tally to six goal contributions.
The only concern for Bodø/Glimt at this stage is match fitness, as the new Norwegian league season is still some time away. However, recent wins over Beşiktaş (2:1) and Maccabi Tel Aviv (3:1) have shown that they remain sharp and experienced, generating a combined 4.71 xG across those two games. Three of their players have already recorded at least three goal contributions in this Europa League campaign.
This first-ever meeting between Nice and Bodø/Glimt promises plenty of attacking action. The French side will want to finish their campaign with a statement performance, while the Norwegians have everything to play for in their push for the top eight.
