Bodo/Glimt vs Manchester City prediction 20.01.2026 | Champions League

Due to a different football calendar, the season in Norway has ended in late November. The team from  Nordland county failed to win back-to-back titles, finishing second - one point away from the eventual champs, Viking. While their season will not start until March, they still have two Champions League games to try to secure a place in the knockout phase. However, three points from six rounds thus far are definitely not a reason for optimism. 

For the upcoming game, the team will have one of its best defenders back, Jostein Gundersen. The 29-year-old defender was sent off in a match against Monaco in early November and initially received a three-game ban. The club appealed, and UEFA reduced the number of games to two, and the defender will most likely return to the starting eleven.

If we exclude the Community Shield, Manchester City finished their last season trophyless and generally had an underwhelming season by their standards. This season, the Citizens have done well in the Cup competitions thus far (EFL, FA Cup, and Champions League) but are slowly losing the battle in the Premier League. They drew three in a row in the PL before losing their latest game against their city rival, Manchester United, 2:0. So, the Citizens are definitely in a somewhat bad momentum, but undoubtedly, a reason for their recent stretch is the absence of some key players, especially in the back. 

After a 2:0 loss to Manchester United in the city derby, coach Pep Guardiola spoke to the media. He admitted the better team won because they lacked energy, which turned out to be the key factor. The coach added that the team didn't perform at the required level to control the game or create good attacking threats. 

For the upcoming game, the team will have up to seven players missing due to injuries - Kovacic, Gvardiol, Savinho, Dias, Stones... Also, the team will miss Bernardo Silva, who will serve a one-game ban.