Five Viking players out for Sabah test at Lyse Arena

Viking go into tonight's Champions League meeting with Sabah FA at Lyse Arena without five injured players, according to FotMob. The Eliteserien leaders arrive on the back of a 3-1 home win over Tromso, with two more home games to come this week.

Absentees ahead of the Sabah game

Five players are listed as unavailable for Viking's Champions League round four meeting with Sabah FA at Lyse Arena. FotMob names Anders Bærtelsen, Martin Roseth, Sondre Bjørshol, Nicholas D'Agostino and Veton Berisha, all with injuries.

The same page gives a predicted Viking line-up in a 4-3-3. It has Arild Østbø in goal, with Henrik Heggheim, Gianni Stensness, Henrik Falchener and Kristoffer Haugen in defence. Henrik Rørvik Bjørdal, Joe Bell and Kristoffer Askildsen are projected in midfield, with Peter Christiansen, Erik Botheim and Zlatko Tripić up front. This is a forecast, not a confirmed team sheet, so the real XI may differ.

Sabah's predicted side lines up in a 4-2-3-1. Stas Pokatilov is in goal, and Joy-Lance Mickels leads the line.

Match-day details at Lyse Arena

Kick-off at Lyse Arena is 9 PM local time on Wednesday evening. Fans at home can watch on TV 2 Play in Norway.

The stadium holds 15,900 spectators and has an artificial surface. The forecast for Stavanger is around 7°C, so supporters heading to the ground should dress for a cool night.

Form heading into a busy week

Viking arrive in good domestic form. Their last match at Lyse Arena ended in a 3-1 win over Tromso on 25 October. The hosts led 3-0 at half-time that day.

In the Eliteserien, Viking sit top of the table on 59 points after 25 games. Bodo/Glimt are second on the same 59 points, and Molde and Rosenborg follow on 43 each. Every point still counts in a tight title race.

The Sabah game is the first of three home fixtures in five days. Viking FK Women meet Arna-Bjørnar at 3 PM on Saturday 7 November. On Sunday 8 November at 5 PM, the men's team host KFUM Oslo, who are tenth on 31 points, in the league.

For tonight, Viking's squad depth will be tested by the five absentees. The home crowd will hope the team can build on the Tromso win and make the most of the Lyse Arena atmosphere in Europe.

Sources: fotmob.com