Viking host Sabah in Champions League night at Lyse Arena

Viking welcome Azerbaijani champions Sabah to Lyse Arena on Wednesday night for matchday four of the Champions League. Both clubs are making their debuts in the competition and are looking for their first positive results of the autumn.

Kickoff and what is at stake

Viking host Azerbaijani champions Sabah at Lyse Arena on Wednesday, 4 November, in the fourth round of the Champions League league phase. Kickoff is at 9 PM local time. The two clubs are making their Champions League debuts this season and have never met before.

The campaign has been hard for both. Viking have collected one point from their first three games, with a 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich and two defeats. Sabah have three points from their three games. They beat Slavia Prague 2-0 for their first Champions League win, and they have lost to Manchester United and Bodø/Glimt.

Viking's form at Lyse Arena

The home crowd will hope the stadium can give Viking a push. According to match previews, Viking have gone two home games without defeat. Most recently they beat Tromsø 3-1 at Lyse Arena on 25 October, after leading 3-0 at half-time. Viking have also scored in seven consecutive games.

Viking go into the night as Eliteserien leaders. They are on 59 points after 25 matches, level with Bodø/Glimt at the top of the table.

Predicted line-ups put Arild Østbø in goal behind a back four led by Gianni Stensness and Henrik Heggheim. Joe Bell and Kristoffer Askildsen are expected in midfield, with Erik Botheim and Zlatko Tripić in attack. These are forecasts and not confirmed team sheets.

Sabah's visit

Sabah are the reigning champions of Azerbaijan. They arrive in Stavanger without a win in their last three games. In their most recent outing they lost 3-2 to Turan in the Azerbaijani league. Viking have been strong in front of goal this autumn, so the visitors' defence could face a testing evening.

Dutch referee Sander van der Eijk will take charge of the match.

Watching from afar

The game is broadcast widely abroad. In Britain it is on TNT Sports and HBO Max, and in the United States it is on Paramount+. Supporters at the stadium will see the match on an artificial surface, as is normal at Lyse Arena.

Viking's home schedule stays busy after this game. Viking host KFUM Oslo on Sunday, 8 November, at 5 PM.

Sources: fotmob.com, sports.yahoo.com, paramountplus.com, bbc.com, en.as.com