Viking to play Aston Villa after 3-3 draw with Bayern — BBC Sport

Norwegian side Viking will play away against England’s Aston Villa in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Stavanger team head into the match at Villa Park after a 3-3 draw with Munich’s Bayern: Viking led 2-0 after the first half but only levelled the score late in the game. BBC Sport reports.

Return to European football

Last season, Viking ended a 34-year wait for the Norwegian title by winning their ninth national championship. The club last played in the group stage of European competition in the 2005–06 season, when it competed in the UEFA Cup.

Team captain Zlatko Tripic joined the club in 2018, when Viking were playing in the second division. After the match against Bayern, the 33-year-old winger told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 that he was proud of the team and had waited 34 years for such a moment. In the game against the German club, Tripic provided two assists, including for the goal that levelled the score.

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Two head coaches

The team has been jointly led since 2021 by former assistants Morten Jensen and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim. They guided Viking to the title last season, and the club now leads the standings again.

Aarsheim spent most of his playing career at Viking, while Jensen was part of the club’s system but did not make his debut for the first team. The coaches describe the current European season as special for the club. In addition to the trip to Aston Villa, Viking’s schedule includes away matches against Atletico and Napoli, as well as a home game against Bayern.

The club began its path to revival after being relegated from the top division in 2017. The following season, Viking immediately won the second division and returned to the elite, before winning the Norwegian Cup in 2019 — its first trophy since 2001.