Viking prepare for Aston Villa trip after Bayern draw as club savours Champions League return
Viking FK face Aston Villa in the Champions League after a dramatic 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich, with joint head coaches and captain Zlatko Tripic at the heart of the club's revival from relegation to Norwegian champions.
Viking FK travel to Aston Villa on Wednesday for their first Champions League campaign, having marked their debut with a 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich in which they led 2-0 at half-time before needing a last-minute equaliser to salvage a point. Captain Zlatko Tripic, who set up two goals in that game, told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 he was immensely proud and had waited 34 years for such a moment.
The Stavanger club is guided by joint head coaches Morten Jensen and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim, former assistants who took the job together in 2021. Both are lifelong Viking fans with playing histories at the club. Aarsheim described the arrangement as a special story, saying they believed working as a pair would improve their chances of landing the role, while Jensen said the pair are happy working together and willing to go against convention.
Viking won last season's Norwegian title on the final day, beating Valerenga 5-1 at home to stay one point ahead of Bodo/Glimt. It was their first league title since 1991 and a ninth overall, six of which came between 1972 and 1982. The club had been relegated in 2017 and returned to the top flight at the first attempt in 2018 under Bjarne Berntsen, with Jensen and Aarsheim as his assistants.
Fan and podcaster Lars Risan told BBC Radio 5 Live that the title win brought the city together and that supporters were nervous and excited. He said the relegation proved beneficial because the club returned to its roots, invested in the youth academy and built something stable rather than relying on wealthy backers. Risan also acknowledged that people were sceptical when Berntsen was replaced by his two assistants.
Tripic joined Viking in the second tier in 2018 after winning two Norwegian titles with Molde and playing for Sheriff Tiraspol. Risan said his arrival was a surprise and that the winger embraced the challenge of lifting the club. After a spell at Goztepe, Tripic returned and reached double figures in both goals and assists in three consecutive seasons, something no Viking player had done before.
Aarsheim called Champions League qualification almost unreal, saying the club had considered learning in the Conference League or Europa League before jumping straight into the top competition. Jensen described the fixture list, which also includes Atletico Madrid, Napoli and Bayern, as a whole buffet. Viking are three points above Bodo/Glimt this season but have played a game more.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
