Aston Villa welcome Norwegian club Viking to Villa Park for a UEFA Champions League group stage match on Wednesday evening. The fixture is a first-ever meeting between the two sides, with Villa looking to continue their formidable home form in European competition. Unai Emery's team currently leads their Champions League group with six points from two matches, following a 6-0 victory over Fenerbahçe and a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich.
Unai Emery's side are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, a run that includes a 1-0 win at Newcastle on Saturday. That victory, secured by a Johan Manzambi goal, followed a 6-0 thrashing of Fenerbahçe in their previous Champions League outing. Villa have now scored in seven consecutive games. Their European home record is particularly strong, having won their last 11 such matches and avoided defeat in the previous 14. The club's last home loss in Europe was in October 2022.
Viking's European challenges
Viking travel to Birmingham with a daunting historical record against English clubs, having failed to win any of their last 28 encounters. They have also lost all seven of their previous European away fixtures. However, the Eliteserien side arrive in decent form, with just one defeat in their last six matches, which includes a notable 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich last week. Viking are currently third in their domestic league table after 20 matches, having won 11 games so far this season.
Team news and key absences
Villa will be without several key players. Midfielder Amadou Onana is sidelined with a long-term cruciate ligament injury, while defender Ian Maatsen and forward Modou Kéba Cissé are also unavailable. Emery is likely to field a strong side, with the starting XI from the Newcastle win featuring players like Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson, and Boubacar Kamara. Viking's lineup from their 3-2 win over Fredrikstad included goalkeeper Arild Østbø and forward Erik Botheim. Viking will be missing midfielder Markus Solbakken due to suspension and defender Kristoffer Haugen through injury.
Domestically, Aston Villa sit 12th in the Premier League standings with eight points from seven games, 13 points behind leaders Manchester City. They face a key league fixture against City at home this coming Sunday. The immediate focus, however, is on securing three points in Europe to build momentum. A win for Villa would put them in a commanding position to qualify for the knockout stages.
Wednesday's match kicks off at 20:00 local time at Villa Park.
