Viking Stavanger welcome Bayern Munich to the Lyse Arena on Tuesday for matchday two of the Champions League league phase, with the Norwegian side bringing domestic momentum into a rain-hit Stavanger night and Bayern arriving with Harry Kane and Michael Olise leading a formidable visiting attack.
What the night decided
The fixture places Viking on one of the biggest stages in the club’s history, against a Bayern side whose European expectations are routinely measured in the latter rounds rather than the opening weeks of the league phase.
Viking come into the game in the middle of a Norwegian title contest with Bodø/Glimt. They have not lost a league match since August, a run that has made them one of the domestic season’s strongest sides ahead of Bayern’s visit.
There is a distinctive backdrop to their Champions League appearance. Stavanger is located in one of Europe’s major oil regions, yet Viking have not relied on a major financial injection from the petroleum wealth around them. The club has retained a traditional member-led identity, with share ownership kept below 50 per cent.
Bayern, meanwhile, travel north with the attention fixed on two of their principal forwards. Club president Herbert Hainer has indicated that selling Olise was never under consideration, while Kane’s contract extension is said to be closer than ever. Olise is also reported to want a release clause included in any new agreement despite the scale of Bayern’s proposed salary package.
Team news at the Lyse Arena
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany selected Urbig in goal, behind a defence of Konrad Laimer, Kim Min-jae, Jonathan Tah and Brown. Tom Bischof and Joshua Kimmich form the midfield base, with Karl, Luis Díaz and Olise supporting Kane.
Viking coach Aarsheim named Østbø; Heggheim, Stensness, Falchener and Haugen; Bell, Bjordal and Askildsen; Christiansen, Botheim and Típíc.
| Viking Stavanger | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|
| Østbø | Urbig |
| Heggheim, Stensness, Falchener, Haugen | Laimer, Kim Min-jae, Tah, Brown |
| Bell, Bjordal, Askildsen | Bischof, Kimmich |
| Christiansen, Botheim, Típíc | Karl, Luis Díaz, Olise |
| — | Kane |
The conditions add another element to the occasion, with rain falling in Stavanger before kick-off. For Viking, the task is to turn a strong league campaign into a result capable of reshaping their Champions League week; for Bayern, it is an early league-phase test in a setting far removed from Munich.
