Crvena zvezda vs Bodø/Glimt facts

It is all to play for as 1991 European champions Crvena zvezda welcome Bodø/Glimt to Belgrade with their UEFA Champions League play-off finely poised.

Bodø/Glimt, looking to reach the competition proper for the first time, seemed set to make the most of home advantage in the first leg in Norway on 20 August thanks to Odin Bjørtuft's header (52) and Isak Dybvik Määttä's fine curling effort (62), but substitute Ognjen Mimović's first ever senior goal 15 minutes from time gave Crvena zvezda hope of getting back into the tie.

The first leg was the first game between the clubs.

The Norwegian champions are taking part in the competition for only the third time and have made it this far for only the second time; Crvena zvezda, by contrast, featured in the group stage in three of the last six seasons, including 2023/24.

Form guide

Crvena zvezda

Record vs Norwegian clubs: W6 D1 L3 F23 A10
Home record vs Norwegian clubs: W3 D0 L1

The first leg was Crvena zvezda's tenth game against a Norwegian club and a first since the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage, when they went down 3-1 at Tromsø.

The Serbian club won their first three games against Norwegian visitors, scoring 11 goals, but lost the most recent 0-1 to Rosenborg in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup second round second leg to bow out by the same aggregate score.

Home and away, 'Red Star' were victorious in their first six games against Norwegian clubs, scoring 21 goals and conceding only four, but are without a win in their last four (D1 L3) and have lost the last three.

The Belgrade side are looking to reach the Champions League proper for the fourth time – all since 2018/19.

Crvena zvezda finished fourth in Group G in 2023/24, behind Manchester City, Leipzig and Young Boys. They lost five of their six games, the exception a 2-2 home draw against the Swiss side on Matchday 2.

This is the Serbian club's first European tie of 2024/25.

This is the Red and Whites' fourth Champions League play-off. They beat Salzburg to earn their debut in 2018/19 (0-0 h, 2-2 a) and Young Boys the following season (2-2 a, 1-1 h), both on away goals, but lost to Maccabi Haifa in 2022/23 (2-3 a, 2-2 h).

European champions in 1991, Crvena zvezda claimed their seventh successive Serbian league title – and 35th championship overall – in 2023/24, also winning the Serbian Cup for the fourth season in a row.

Crvena zvezda did not win a home European game in 2023/24 (D1 L2) having suffered one defeat in their previous seven matches in Belgrade (W5 D1).

This is the 38th UEFA competition tie in which Crvena zvezda have lost the first away leg. They have overturned the deficit on 14 of the previous 37 occasions, most recently losing against Maccabi Haifa at this stage of the 2022/23 Champions League. When losing 1-2 away their record is W3 L3 with victory in three of the last four ties, most recently against Kairat Almaty in the 2021/22 Champions League second qualifying round (5-0 h).

Crvena zvezda's record in seven UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W5 L2:
6-5 v Real Madrid, 1974/75 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final
2-4 v AC Milan, 1988/89 European Cup second round
5-3 v Marseille, 1990/91 European Cup final
4-3 v Metz, 1998/99 UEFA Cup first round
6-5 v Omonoia, 2012/13 Europa League third qualifying round
7-6 v Copenhagen, 2019/20 Champions League third qualifying round
2-4 v Omonoia, 2020/21 Champions League third qualifying round

Bodø/Glimt

The first leg was Bodø/Glimt's first game against a Serbian club.

Glimt are looking to become the first Norwegian side to reach the Champions League proper since Rosenborg in 2007/08. That was the country's 12th group stage appearance – 11 of them by Rosenborg, the exception Molde in 1999/2000.

This is Bodø/Glimt's third Champions League campaign, and a first since they came through three qualifying rounds before losing to Dinamo Zagreb in the 2022/23 play-offs (1-0 h, 1-4 a aet).

That is the Norwegian club's only previous play-off tie in this competition.

In 2023/24 Kjetil Knutsen's side reached the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage after kicking off in the second qualifying round. After coming second in Group D behind Club Brugge but ahead of Beşiktaş and Lugano, taking ten points from their six games, they were eliminated by Ajax in the knockout round play-offs (2-2 a, 1-2 h aet).

Den Gule Horde began the 2024/25 Champions League in the second qualifying round, beating RFS of Latvia 4-0 at home and 3-1 away, before easing past Poland's Jagiellonia Białystok (1-0 a, 4-1 h) to reach the play-offs.

Glimt have won five of their last nine away European games – including both this season – losing only one.

Bodø/Glimt claimed their third league title – all in the last four years – in 2023, finishing nine points clear at the top of the table.

The Norwegian side have won ten of the 13 previous UEFA ties in which they carried a lead into the second away leg, including against RFS this season. They have won two of the three ties in which they won 2-1 at home although they lost the last, against Roma in the 2021/22 Europa Conference League quarter-finals (0-4 a).

Bodø/Glimt's record in one UEFA penalty shoot-out is W1 L0:
8-7 v Levadia Tallinn, 2004/05 UEFA Cup second qualifying round

Links and trivia

Crvena zvezda goalkeeper Marko Ilić made 14 league appearances on loan at Norwegian club Sarpsborg from Colorado Rapids between March and July this year, including a 2-1 home defeat by Bodø/Glimt on 28 June.