Inter vs Bodø/Glimt: Can Chivu Pull Off a UCL Comeback?

Inter Milan need to score at least three unanswered goals on Tuesday night to avoid one of the biggest Champions League upsets in years. The Serie A leaders trail Bodø/Glimt 3-1 on aggregate after a shocking first-leg defeat in Norway on February 18, and now Cristian Chivu’s side must produce a historic comeback at San Siro — starting at 21:00 CET — without injured captain Lautaro Martínez. No Inter team has ever won a Champions League knockout match by three or more goals. To advance, they would need to make history.

The Norwegian champions have beaten Manchester City 3-1 at home, won 2-1 at Atletico Madrid, and now stunned Inter — three successive Champions League victories that no Norwegian club has ever managed. A place in the round of 16 is within touching distance for Kjetil Knutsen’s team.

How Bodø Broke Inter Apart in Norway

The first leg in the Arctic Circle was supposed to be a formality. Inter entered that match having won seven straight Serie A games and sat 10 points clear at the top of the Italian table. Bodø/Glimt were between seasons — the Norwegian Eliteserien runs spring to autumn — and had played only friendlies and Champions League matches since October.

None of that mattered once the game kicked off on Bodø’s synthetic pitch. Sondre Fet capped a slick 16-pass move to put the hosts ahead. Francesco Pio Esposito equalized for Inter on the half-hour mark, and for a spell it looked like normal service had resumed. Then the second half happened.

Jens Petter Hauge beat the offside trap to restore Bodø’s lead, and Kasper Høgh added a third 12 minutes later. Inter’s defense, which had conceded just eight goals in their previous 13 league matches, fell apart twice in quick succession. Chivu admitted afterwards that the plastic surface, sub-zero conditions, and Bodø’s pace in transition all caught his side cold.

The xG numbers backed up the eye test: Bodø created 2.4 expected goals from their chances, while Inter generated only 0.9 despite having 54% possession. The Norwegians were clinical. Inter were not.

Chivu’s Plan Without His Captain

Lautaro Martínez suffered a calf injury during the first leg and will miss several weeks. That’s a massive blow. The Argentine captain has 14 goals and seven assists across all competitions this season and is Inter’s most reliable finisher in big European nights. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, the midfield conductor who controls tempo from the base of Inter’s 3-5-2, is also unavailable.

In their absence, Chivu is expected to pair Marcus Thuram with 20-year-old Pio Esposito up front. The teenager scored in Bodø and has found the net in three of his last three matches — a run that earned him a starting spot in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Lecce. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who scored the opener against Lecce, and Nicolò Barella will return to bolster the midfield.

Piotr Zieliński will operate in the deep-lying playmaker role usually filled by Çalhanoğlu. Federico Dimarco, an unused substitute in Norway, is certain to start on the left wing-back — his crossing and set-piece delivery could be Inter’s best route to goals.

“If there’s a team that can come back, it’s us,” Chivu said at Monday’s press conference. “We mustn’t overturn our game plan. We need maturity, personality, and clinical finishing.”

📊 Key Stat: 0 — Inter have never won a Champions League knockout match by three or more goals in their 71-year European history. They would need exactly that scoreline (3-0) just to force extra time. (Source: UEFA records via Opta)

Why Bodø/Glimt Are Not Just a Fairytale

Dismissing Bodø as plucky underdogs who got lucky would be a mistake. Knutsen’s 4-3-3 is built on high pressing, rapid ball circulation, and devastating counter-attacks through the wide areas. The front trio of Hauge, Høgh, and Philip Blomberg tore Inter apart with their movement, and the midfield axis of Patrick Berg and Fet controlled the tempo for long spells in the first leg.

The numbers across their Champions League run are striking. Bodø beat Man City 3-1 at home on January 20, then won 2-1 at Atletico Madrid on January 28 — two of the most impressive results by any debutant in the modern Champions League. Their league phase finish of 23rd looked modest, but two final-day wins saved a campaign that had started with six games without a victory.

Bodø have a full squad available for San Siro. The ever-present trio of Odin Bjørtuft, Berg, and Fredrik Sjøvold — each of whom has played every minute of the Champions League campaign — will anchor the defense and midfield.

One concern for Knutsen: Bodø have lost five of their six previous away matches against Serie A teams in European competition. The only win came against AC Milan in the 2022-23 Europa League. San Siro will be a hostile environment, and the shift from synthetic turf to natural grass could disrupt their rhythm.

“What they did in the group stage wasn’t a coincidence. They drew in Dortmund and beat City and Atletico in Madrid.” — Cristian Chivu on Bodø/Glimt, February 23, 2026.

Boomerang Bet Odds: Inter Milan vs Bodø/Glimt

Bookmaker Boomerang Bet has Inter Milan as heavy favorites to win this second leg, but the aggregate picture is far tighter. Here are the key odds for Tuesday’s match at San Siro:

• Inter Milan to win: 1.25
• Draw: 6.50
• Bodø/Glimt to win: 9.00
• Over 2.5 goals: 1.45
• Over 3.5 goals: 1.85
• Both teams to score — Yes: 1.60
• Inter to qualify (aggregate): 2.10
• Bodø/Glimt to qualify (aggregate): 1.67

The split between match odds and qualification odds tells the whole story. Inter will very likely win on the night — the 1.25 price reflects an 80% probability. But winning by three or more goals to force extra time? That’s where the value shifts to Bodø. The 1.67 odds on the Norwegian side to qualify imply bookmakers give them close to a 60% chance of progressing, even if they lose this match.

The over 3.5 goals market at 1.85 looks appealing. Six of Inter’s last seven home games have featured both teams scoring and at least three total goals. Bodø have hit that same pattern in seven straight away matches. Inter must throw everything forward, which means gaps at the back — the recipe for a wild, open night.

Want to place your bets on this match? Here are the bookmakers where you can wager:

What Happens Next at San Siro

Former Inter striker Christian Vieri told Sky Sport Italia on Sunday that “this is the biggest test of Chivu’s young career.” The 45-year-old Romanian, who replaced Simone Inzaghi last June after the latter left for Al-Hilal, has guided Inter to a runaway Serie A lead — 10 points clear of AC Milan after Saturday’s win — but has struggled in Europe, with four defeats in the last five Champions League matches.

That European record is the cloud hanging over an otherwise brilliant domestic season. Inter reached the Champions League final in two of the last three seasons under Inzaghi, and anything less than the round of 16 will feel like a step back.

Yet here is the tension: Inter need to attack with abandon, but Bodø’s counter-attack is exactly the weapon that destroyed them a week ago. If Chivu pushes too many bodies forward and Hauge or Høgh break free behind the high line, a single away goal would mean Inter need four. The math gets ugly fast.

The most likely outcome? Inter win 2-1 or 3-1, fall short on aggregate, and Bodø/Glimt become the first Norwegian club to reach the Champions League round of 16 since Rosenborg in 1997. It would be a fairytale run — and a painful lesson for one of Europe’s biggest clubs. If Bodø advance, they face either Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon in the last 16, with the draw set for Friday, February 27.