Viking FK head into Wednesday's Champions League clash against Aston Villa on the heels of a dramatic 3-3 draw with German giants Bayern Munich. Having opened their European campaign with a 3-1 defeat at Stuttgart, the Norwegian club raced into a 2-0 half-time advantage against Bayern before needing a last-minute equaliser to rescue a historic point. The European run represents a milestone moment for the Stavanger outfit, who ended a 34-year title drought last season by defeating Valerenga 5-1 on the final day to finish one point clear of dethroned champions Bodo/Glimt.
The club's resurgence has been orchestrated by joint head coaches Morten Jensen and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim, who stepped up from their assistant roles together in 2021. Currently leading the domestic standings once again—three points ahead of Bodo having played an extra match—the duo have embraced their first European group stage since the 2005–06 Uefa Cup. While Aarsheim highlighted their ambition by stating that "in our heads, it's the best team in the world," Jensen likened their European schedule to "the whole buffet." That fixture list includes trips to Diego Maradona's old playground at Napoli, Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, and a visit to Villa Park, where former Viking assistant Pal Fjall works as set-piece coach.
This Champions League adventure stands in sharp contrast to 2017, when Viking suffered relegation for the first time in 31 years under English manager Ian Burchnall. The nine-time league champions began rebuilding in the second tier in 2018 under returning manager Bjarne Berntsen, with Jensen and Aarsheim serving on his staff. They secured immediate promotion back to the top tier, won the 2019 Norwegian Cup, and later transitioned to the Jensen-Aarsheim joint partnership in 2021. After recording third-place finishes in 2021 and 2024, the managerial pair sealed last season's championship on the back of seven consecutive victories.
An integral figure throughout this climb has been team captain Zlatko Tripic, who originally signed for the club in the second tier back in 2018 from Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol. The 33-year-old winger, who previously won two league titles at Molde in 2011 and 2012 and spent an 18-month spell at Turkish outfit Goztepe, made history as the first Viking player to register double figures in both goals and assists across three consecutive seasons. After helping earn the point against Bayern, an elated Tripic told TV2: "I could have played another 90 minutes. I'm so incredibly proud. I've waited 34 years for this."