Arsenal vs. Bodo/Glimt Betting Tips: Eddie Nketiah features in 14/1 fancy

Mikel Arteta will be absolutely delighted with Arsenal’s superb start to the season, but we all know how quickly things can change in football meaning the Spaniard will want his side to remain focused as the matches come thick-and-fast throughout a hectic October.

With eight wins from nine matches in all competitions so far, Arsenal head into their next match full of confidence and bidding to make it back-to-back wins in the Europa League when they host Group A leaders Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night at 8pm, which can be viewed live on BT Sport 2.

Check out our match preview and tip selection below…

Arsenal returned from Switzerland with a 2-1 victory over FC Zurich in their only group game so far as their fixture against PSV was rescheduled due to The Queen’s funeral. Instead, it's Bodo/Glimt who top the pile with four points from two matches, in which they picked up a valuable point away to PSV then saw off FC Zurich 2-1.

Arsenal may be in stunning form and on home soil, but they come up against a team that has won plenty of plaudits under manager Kjetil Knutsen, who himself has been linked with a move to England on multiple occasions throughout the last year. Spectacular results such as the 6-1 demolition of Jose Mourinho’s Roma last season highlight what they are capable of.

Arsenal, the 5/1 favourites in the Europa League Winner Odds, are priced at just 1/4 to record their ninth win in 10 matches, while Bodo/Glimt will be eyeing up a statement win at 14/1. Alternatively, you can back the spoils to be shared at 6/1.

I’m looking forward to this match-up as it should produce plenty of goalmouth action given the entertaining and attacking style of both teams.

Arsenal have found the back of the net in every single one of their nine league and cup games this season, firing in three goals in three of their last four matches, which includes victories over Man Utd and Spurs. However, their defence hasn’t perhaps been as concrete as Arteta would have liked, with BTTS landing six times.

BTTS has also been a staple of Bodo/Glimt’s last six matches, including both group games so far, while they’ve scored 60 goals in 24 league games in the league: more than any club in the Norwegian top-tier.

With this in mind, BTTS looks well worth backing a shade short of evens at 19/20 with bet365.

Mikel Arteta will have one eye on Sunday’s showstopper at home to Liverpool in the Premier League, meaning you can expect a few changes on Thursday night, as tends to be custom for their Europa League matches.

One player who can expect to start is Nketiah, someone we successfully tipped to score in their 2-1 win in Zurich last time out. The striker was priced at 11/10 on that occasion and while the vast majority of bookmakers have him at odds-on to bag another on Thursday, he can still be found at 21/20 with Unibet.

It’s a competition that has proved to be somewhat fruitful for Nketiah, who has scored in each of his last three group stage games, and in four of the last six. Against Zurich he set up Marquinhos for the opener, then headed home what proved to be the winner. Expect the 23-year-old to come out firing on Thursday as Arsenal bid to go top of Group B.

Finally, I’ll be having a mini dabble on Nketiah to score a header, which has been boosted from 10/1 to 14/1 with Paddy Power. 

Nketiah is an excellent finisher, who uses his speed, trickery, and movement to confuse defenders. His heading ability can often be overlooked, but it’s a method in which he’s scored his last two goals for Arsenal - against Zurich and Everton - so this price seems too good to turn down against a Bodo/Glimt side that’s conceded in each of their last six games.