Viking ended a 34-year Norwegian title wait last year by beating Valerenga 5-1 on the final day to edge out Bodo/Glimt. Having been in the second tier as recently as 2018, the Stavanger club has now reached a European group stage for the first time since the 2005-06 Uefa Cup.
The club's European campaign recently featured a dramatic 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich, where Viking led 2-0 at half-time before securing a point with a late goal. Following the match, captain Zlatko Tripic admitted he had waited 34 years for such moments of pride.
The revival is spearheaded by rare joint head coaches Morten Jensen and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim, who stepped up from assistant roles in 2021. Aarsheim stated that they view Viking as the best team in the world, comparing the club to Barcelona, while Jensen emphasized that daring to go against the grain brings great success.
Viking's Champions League schedule includes high-profile fixtures against Aston Villa, Atletico Madrid, and Napoli. Jensen described the daunting fixture list as a complete buffet of matches across England, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
