Start vs Bodo/Glimt prediction 20.05.2026 | Eliteserien
IK Start
Kick off:
Date:
Bodo/Glimt
1
13.00
X
6.20
2
1.20
Contents
- Competition: Eliteserien
- Date: Wednesday, 20th May, 2026
- Kickoff: 17:00 UK / 18:00 CEST
- Venue: Sparebanken Sør Arena (Kristiansand)
On Wednesday afternoon, the last-placed team in Eliteserien, Start, will welcome last season's vice-champions, Bodo/Glimt. The hosts are coming to the match after a big 6:3 loss to Viking and are looking for their first win of the season. Meanwhile, Bodo/Glimt arrives after winning the NM Cup over Brann and then following that with a massive 5:0 win over Tromso in the league.
Let's break down the game and find the best possible bet for this Eliteserien tie.
IK Start vs Bodo/Glimt Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
Bodo/Glimt
5 : 0
IK Start
Eliteserien
-
IK Start
1 : 1
Bodo/Glimt
Eliteserien
-
Bodo/Glimt
6 : 0
IK Start
Eliteserien
-
Bodo/Glimt
1 : 0
IK Start
Club Friendlies 1
-
IK Start
2 : 1
Bodo/Glimt
NM Cup
-
Bodo/Glimt
1 : 2
IK Start
Eliteserien
Interestingly, these teams have already met once, even though it is still early in the season. That time, Bodo/Glimt absolutely trashed Start, winning 5:0. Looking further back, over the past ten H2H games across competitions, Start won three and Bodo/Glimt five games.
When it comes to the number of goals, six of the past ten H2H games ended with three or more goals, while both teams scored in five of them.
Start team overview
Start returned to Eliteserien last season after five consecutive seasons in OBOS-Ligaen. This season, the goal is to survive, but the season hasn't started off well. At the moment, they sit in the last place with four points in the first nine rounds and are the only winless team in the league thus far. To be fair, they had a pretty tough schedule, but it's still a terrible record regardless.
Defender Erlend Reitan will serve his one-game suspension due to the accumulation of yellow cards. His absence will be a factor, as he is one of their key players who has started all nine games so far and scored one goal. Moreover, Johan Meyer, Kristoffer Tonnesen, and Jasper Torkildsen should remain sidelined with their injuries.
Last matches of IK Start
-
Viking
6 : 3
IK Start
Eliteserien
-
IK Start
1 : 1
Tromso
Eliteserien
-
Bodo/Glimt
5 : 0
IK Start
Eliteserien
-
HamKam
2 : 1
IK Start
Eliteserien
-
IK Start
1 : 1
Molde
Eliteserien
IK Start lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Jacob Pryts
Defenders
-
27
Ousmane Diallo
-
6
John Olav Norheim
-
5
Omar Jebali
-
13
Sebastian Griesbeck
-
16
Tom Strannegård
Midfielders
-
10
Steve Mvoué
-
23
Erlend Segberg
-
18
Mikael Ugland
Forwards
-
20
Håkon Lorentzen
-
17
Jesper Cornelius
Bodo/Glimt team overview
Bodo/Glimt have been among the best teams in Norway for a long time now. Last year, they missed the title by only one point to Viking, but they gave their best performances in the Champions League. The team from Nordland county had some magnificent performances in the group phase, but in the knockout phase as well, during the season break in the domestic league. They pulled off one of the biggest upsets in modern football by eliminating Inter 5:2. This season, as we mentioned, they have already won the Cup title. In the Eliteserien, they did pretty well with 16 points in eight rounds, but Viking were amazing and already created an eight-point gap. To be fair, they played one game more. Therefore, the Nordland team is under pressure to win all three points against the league's currently worst team.
Coach Kjetil Knutsen should have no new absences for this game, but Magnus Riisnaes and Ulrik Saltnes should remain sidelined with their illness and injury.
Last matches of Bodo/Glimt
-
Bodo/Glimt
5 : 0
Tromso
Eliteserien
-
Bodo/Glimt
4 : 2
Brann
NM Cup
-
Bodo/Glimt
0 : 1
Molde
Eliteserien
-
Bodo/Glimt
5 : 0
IK Start
Eliteserien
-
Lillestrom
0 : 2
Bodo/Glimt
Eliteserien
Bodo/Glimt lineup
Goalkeeper
-
12
Nikita Haikin
Defenders
-
20
Fredrik Sjøvold
-
4
Odin Bjørtuft
-
5
Haitam Aleesami
-
15
Fredrik Bjørkan
Midfielders
-
26
Håkon Evjen
-
7
Patrick Berg
-
19
Sondre Brunstad Fet
Forwards
-
11
Ole Didrik Blomberg
-
9
Kasper Høgh
-
10
Jens Petter Hauge
Prediction
Start have been atrocious this season, failing to win in the first nine games of the season. Also, against the two best teams in the league, Viking and Bodo/Glimt, they lost by a combined score of 3:11. Against Bodo/Glimt, they suffered their worst loss of the season (5:0) and were completely outplayed from the very beginning.
Bodo/Glimt, meanwhile, won back-to-back games against Brann and Tromso, although the one against Brann came after penalties. In the Eliteserien, they've won five of eight games (62%) while covering the -1.5 AH spread in each.
Considering the outcome in the previous H2H game, the difference in form and overall quality, we believe Bodo/Glimt will secure a comfortable win over Start.
3 Reasons why Bodo/Glimt should win and cover the -1.5 AH spread
- Start are winless in nine games this season
- Bodo/Glimt won five out of eight league games
- Bodo/Glimt won the previous H2H game 5:0
Main prediction IK Start - Bodo/Glimt
AH2 (-1.5)
Best Odds:
Melbet
1.65
IK Start vs Bodo/Glimt standings in Eliteserien
| Regular Season | P | W | D | L |
G - A
|
GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viking | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 27 - 9 | +18 | 24 |
| 2 | Tromsø | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 17 - 13 | +4 | 23 |
| 3 | Lillestrøm | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 16 - 7 | +9 | 19 |
| 4 | Bodø / Glimt | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 19 - 7 | +12 | 16 |
| 5 | Molde | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 15 - 10 | +5 | 16 |
| 6 | Brann | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 21 - 13 | +8 | 13 |
| 7 | HamKam | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 13 - 14 | -1 | 13 |
| 8 | Sandefjord | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 8 - 10 | -2 | 13 |
| 9 | Vålerenga | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 10 - 14 | -4 | 11 |
| 10 | Fredrikstad | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 12 - 18 | -6 | 10 |
| 11 | Sarpsborg 08 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 - 14 | -5 | 8 |
| 12 | Kristiansund | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 - 12 | -5 | 8 |
| 13 | KFUM | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 - 17 | -7 | 8 |
| 14 | Rosenborg | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 - 14 | -7 | 8 |
| 15 | Aalesund | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 - 16 | -6 | 6 |
| 16 | Start | 9 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 - 22 | -13 | 4 |