NEC Nijmegen host Bodo/Glimt in the play-offs with both sides having made strong starts to the season, but the lineups reveal significant rotation — three regulars missing for the hosts and four for the visitors. The Dutch side's only home match produced a 2-1 win, while Bodo/Gli…
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Sign inNEC Nijmegen begin their bid for a historic first-ever UEFA Champions League league-phase appearance when they host Norwegian outfit FK Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of the play-off round on Wednesday, 19 August 2026.
NEC manager Dick Schreuder is likely to persist with the ultra-attacking 3-4-2-1 system that eventually broke down Olympiacos in the previous round. The home side have been boosted by the return of 36-year-old centre-back Bram Nuytinck to the bench after an ankle injury sustained in April, though defender Philippe Sandler and midfielder Sami Ouaissa were both forced off during that extra-time triumph. Sandler’s substitution was described as precautionary after he missed Monday’s session, while Ouaissa’s availability is less certain.
Up front, Bryan Linssen – who scored NEC’s maiden Champions League goal from a Dusan Tadić cross – is expected to lead the line again, supported by Tadić and captain Tjaronn Chery in the attacking midfield slots. Emre Mor, the torqoise substitute who grabbed the extra-time winner against Olympiacos, provides a game-changing option from the bench.
No official team news has emerged from the Bodø/Glimt camp, but the Norwegian side are forced to manage a brutal fixture pile-up that will see them play a domestic cup tie just 19 hours after the conclusion of the second leg – a scheduling quirk created by the Norwegian Cup draw. Fatigue management could therefore shape their approach to this first leg.
The Dutch club are competing in Champions League qualifying for the very first time this summer and have already written history. After a goalless first leg away to Olympiacos, Schreuder’s men recovered from an early second-half concession in the return fixture. Linssen’s 70th-minute equaliser – the club’s first ever UCL goal – and Mor’s 108th-minute strike sealed a 2-1 victory, sending the Goffertstadion into raptures and NEC through on aggregate.
Domestically, NEC stumbled to a 2-1 defeat at Telstar on the opening weekend of the Eredivisie season, but the Champions League run has captured the imagination. They have now scored in each of their last two home matches in qualifying, and Schreuder’s aggressive setup suggests they will again look to take the initiative.
Bodø/Glimt arrive as a side that reached the Round of 16 in last season’s Champions League, earning a reputation as “giant killers” with their fearless, high-pressing style. They needed even longer than NEC to book their play-off place, eventually edging out Union Saint-Gilloise 3-2 at home after extra time – a 6-5 aggregate victory sealed by an own-goal deflection in the 109th minute. Having conceded five times across those two legs however, there are vulnerabilities for NEC to exploit.
The fixture congestion is a significant subplot. With the second leg at Aspmyra Stadion scheduled for 26 August, and a cup match against Fauske/Sprint pushed to Wednesday 28 August, Bodø/Glimt could be left with less than a day between the end of that return tie and the start of their title defence in the Norwegian Cup. How they balance resources across this first leg will be intriguing.
Former Ajax and Serbia forward Tadić was the creative fulcrum in the Olympiacos comeback. His clipped cross for Linssen’s goal demonstrated the vision that has made him one of the Eredivisie’s standout playmakers in recent years. Up against a Bodø/Glimt defence that conceded heavily to Union SG, Tadić’s ability to find pockets of space and release Linssen or Chery could be decisive in opening up the tie before the return leg inside the Arctic Circle.
NEC will need to be wary of Bodø’s own attacking transition, but if Sandler and Nuytinck are deemed fit enough to anchor the back three, the Dutch hosts have the firepower and momentum to make the most of their home advantage.
The winner of this two-legged tie will advance to the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League league phase – uncharted territory for both clubs. The return fixture is scheduled for 26 August at Bodø/Glimt’s Aspmyra Stadion, where the Norwegian side will hope their unique schedule does not come back to haunt them.
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