N.E.C. and Bodø/Glimt, unbeaten sides with contrasting styles, meet at Goffertstadion

Goffertstadion hosts a meeting of contrasting styles between N.E.C. and Bodø/Glimt, two teams arriving unbeaten and who have already made clear, in just a couple of matchdays, that their games tend not to be low scoring affairs.

Current form

N.E.C. has one win and one draw from its two matches so far, with two goals scored and one conceded, and boasts a notable stat: it has kept a clean sheet in 100% of its games. Its recent run includes three wins in the last five matches, with one draw and one loss mixed in, and its most productive scoring window falls between the 61st and 75th minutes. Emre Mor and Bryan Linssen are its top scorers so far, with one goal apiece.

Bodø/Glimt, for its part, also has a win and a draw from its two matches in the competition, though with a notably different offensive rhythm: six goals scored and five conceded, a high scoring average that contrasts with a 0% clean sheet rate. Over its last five matches it has racked up three wins and two draws, with no losses, and tends to strike early: its top scoring window comes between the 16th and 30th minutes. Ole Didrik Blomberg tops its scoring charts with two goals, followed by Andreas Helmersen and Odin Bjørtuft with one each.

With only two matches played by each side, any reading of the standings would be premature: the records are still taking shape.

Likely lineups

N.E.C. is expected to field, according to its estimated lineup of medium reliability, a side with Gonzalo Crettaz in goal and a back line of Deveron Fonville, Philippe Sandler, Tobias Storm and Brayann Pereira. The midfield would feature Darko Nejasmic, Sami Ouaissa, Noé Lebreton and Clement Bischoff, with Tjaronn Chery and Bryan Linssen leading the attack.

Bodø/Glimt, also with a probable lineup of medium reliability, would start Nikita Haikin in goal, backed by Fredrik Sjøvold, Odin Bjørtuft, Fredrik Bjørkan, Jostein Gundersen and Haitam Aleesami on defense. Patrick Berg, Sondre Fet and Sondre Auklend would split midfield duties, while Ole Didrik Blomberg and Jens Petter Hauge would lead the attack.

What the numbers say

EnPelotas' model gives a slight edge to the visiting side, though the gap is far from decisive:

The 49% in favor of Bodø/Glimt marks it as the favorite, but N.E.C.'s 27% and the 24% chance of a draw keep the outcome far from settled beforehand. The combined 3.54 expected goals between both sides, according to this in-house estimate, points to a match with scoring chances at both ends. It's worth clarifying that these percentages and the xG figures are EnPelotas' own model projection, not a betting line or a definitive prediction.

Looking ahead

With a host that's solid on defense and a visitor that keeps both creating and conceding chances, Goffertstadion could be the stage for a tightly matched contest on the scoreboard, but with more than one scare in both penalty areas.