Norway's champions arrive at Villa Park for a first meeting with Aston Villa
Reigning Norwegian champions Viking FK visit Aston Villa on Wednesday evening in the Champions League, and the two clubs have never played each other before. The match is due to kick off at 20:00 at Villa Park, in the competition that brings together Europe's leading clubs.
Viking's route to this point is an unusual one. They play in the Eliteserien, Norway's top division, and in 2025 they won the title for the first time since 1991. They clinched it on the final day with a 5-1 home win over Valerenga, finishing one point ahead of Bodo/Glimt. As recently as 2018 the club was in the second tier.
The club is run by two coaches, Morten Jensen and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim. They were assistants until 2021, when they took charge together. One of their old colleagues is now at Villa. Pal Fjall, who worked as a Viking assistant under them, is Villa's set-piece coach, the specialist who prepares corners and free kicks.
This is also Viking's first European group stage since the 2005-06 UEFA Cup. Their group fixtures include trips to Aston Villa, Atletico Madrid and Napoli, along with a home game against Bayern Munich. The Bayern game has already produced one of the season's more dramatic nights. Viking led 2-0 at half-time, but Bayern drew level and the final score was 3-3. A last-minute goal rescued a point for Viking, and Harry Kane scored for Bayern. Kane, 33, had scored in nine successive Champions League games at that point.
Viking captain Zlatko Tripic said after that draw that he had waited 34 years for a moment like this, according to the BBC. In the 2026 league, Viking sit top of the table, three points ahead of Bodo/Glimt, though they have played one game more.
Villa have their own recent story. Manager Unai Emery, who has been in charge since 2022, took the club back into the Champions League, a return that Reuters reported in May. Villa's league-phase draw put them against Paris St-Germain, Manchester City and Barcelona, among others. Emery spoke to the press before this match.
For a club from a country of around 5.5 million people, a Champions League night in Birmingham is a big step. Every new opponent teaches something. Viking will meet a side that knows the competition well, and Villa will meet a team that has spent the last few years climbing the ladder. Both sides have something to prove, and only one of them will leave with the points.
