© Getty
Viking FK boosted their confidence ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with FC Bayern. The Norwegian champions enjoyed a successful dress rehearsal on Friday, beating SK Brann 2-0. Henrik Heggheim (11’) and top scorer Peter Christiansen (20’) set Viking on their way early in the game. Midfielder Kristoffer Askildsen saw a red card towards the end of the first half, but Viking went on to win their away match.
Tight title race against Bodø/Glimt
The victory means the team coached by Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen retain top spot in the table. With eight matchdays to go (the Norwegian league runs from March to December), the race for the title couldn’t be any tighter. FK Bodø/Glimt, who lost 5-0 to FCB in the Champions League opener, are hot on Viking’s heels. Both have 53 points and the exact same goal difference (56-20) after 22 matchdays. Viking are ahead thanks to their 5-0 victory in the first match, with the second match to be played in Bodø at the end of October.
Home form as the major strength
Viking are in top form at Stavanger’s Lyse Arena in particular. The Norwegians have failed to win just one competitive home match since August 2025.
Viking retained top spot when they beat Brann 2-0 on Friday. | © Imago
Defeat in first CL match
After winning the championship title last year, Viking qualified for the Champions League via the play-offs, beating Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb 3-1 at home after a 2-2 draw in the first leg. The Norwegians lost 3-1 to VfB Stuttgart in their first match in Europe’s premier club competition.
Boosted by the victory over Brann and their impressive home strength, Viking aim to make life difficult for Bayern on Tuesday. Munich need to rise to the challenge and display their quality to claim their second victory over a Norwegian team in their second Champions League match.
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