The goal-oriented approach of Union Saint-Gilloise and Bodø/Glimt led them to high-scoring outcomes in the opening round of the Europa League. Bookmakers give the edge to the Belgian side in this head-to-head, as they have a squad with more top-class players, whereas the Scandinavian team faces squad issues due to injuries.
Away against Fenerbahçe, Union Saint-Gilloise were forced to attack vigorously after conceding an early goal (1:2). Ross Sykes scored late for Saint-Gilloise following Franjo Ivanović's missed penalty, but the final xG of 2.33 against 1.13 left the Belgians disappointed—they could have capitalised more on their visit to a top opponent. The team will not hold back, as demonstrated by their emphatic 3:0 win over KV Kortrijk on Sunday, showing their intention to continue attacking with quality and quantity.
At the end of summer, Bodø/Glimt came close to reaching the Champions League group stage but fell short against Red Star Belgrade (3:2 on aggregate). However, in the Europa League, the Norwegians are notably strong in attack: they kicked off the tournament with a win over Porto (3:2), with the decisive goal from Jens Petter Hauge coming despite being a man down. The former AC Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt player has hit a fine patch of form: he recorded 2+1 against Porto, and scored twice against Kristiansund over the weekend (4:0). Notably, the team has seen the total over 2.5 four times in a row after the international break.
In Brussels, we can expect open football, especially since Union Saint-Gilloise and Bodø/Glimt have three suspended players between them—a gap in their lineup that will create more opportunities for each side. Active attacks will lead to a high-scoring encounter.
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Anthony Moris
|
gk. | 2 | -2 |
|
Christian Albert Elliot Burgess
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Koki Machida
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Ross James Sykes
|
df. | 2 | 1 |
|
Alessio Castro-Montes
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Charles Vanhoutte
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Mathias Rasmussen
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Noah Junior Sadiki
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Ousseynou Niang
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Franjo Ivanović
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Kevin José Rodríguez Cortéz
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Joachim Imbrechts
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Vic Chambaere
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Fedde Leysen
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Daniel Mpoyi Tshilanda Kabongo
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Soulaimane Berradi
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Kamiel Van de Perre
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Anouar Ait El Hadj
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Anan Khalaili
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Kjetil Knutsen
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Nikita Haikin
|
gk. | 1 | -2 |
|
Fredrik André Bjørkan
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Odin Lurås Bjørtuft
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Villads Schmidt Nielsen
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Fredrik Sjøvold
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Håkon Evjen
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Patrick Berg
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Philip Aksel Frigast Zinckernagel
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Sondre Brunstad Fet
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jens Petter Hauge
|
fw. | 1 | 2 |
|
Kasper Waarts Thenza Høgh
|
fw. | 1 | 1 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Julian Rekdahl Faye Lund
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Magnus Brøndbo
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Adam Sørensen
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Jostein Maurstad Gundersen
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Michal Tomic
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ulrik Saltnes
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Sondre Auklend
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
August Mikkelsen
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Runar Espejord
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Andreas Klausen Helmersen
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nino Žugelj
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Sondre Sørli
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Post by:
Europa League
