Aris full of hope for Rosenborg decider

Aris Thessaloniki FC are bidding to cling on to second place in UEFA Europa League Group B when they take on Rosenborg BK on Matchday 6, with the right combination of results potentially spelling an early exit for holders Club Atlético de Madrid.

• Aris are level on points with Atlético but boast a superior head-to-head record. A win against Rosenborg would thus guarantee them a last-32 place, but a draw or even a defeat might suffice provided Atlético do not get a better result at Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Rosenborg will finish bottom of the section regardless.

Previous meetings
• Rade Prica scored the 68th-minute winner as Rosenborg prevailed 2-1 in the sides' Matchday 2 meeting, though the result was hard on Aris, playing in their first game against Norwegian opponents.

• Rosenborg have now played nine games against Greek teams, the first eight in the UEFA Champions League, with their overall record reading W4 D3 L2 (W1D1 L2 in Greece).

Match background
• Aris have not lost at home in over 40 years of participation in UEFA club competition. In 23 home fixtures since a 1-1 draw with Chelsea FC in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round on 16 September 1970, they have earned an impressive record of W12 D11 L0.

• Aris's 3-2 Matchday 5 win at Atlético was the first time a Greek side had won an away game against Spanish opponents in 48 attempts, with the Spanish hosts having won 41 of those encounters.

• Rosenborg have lost five of their last six European outings, barring a 2-1 home win against Aris on Matchday 2, but they ended the Norwegian league season as champions without a single defeat.

• Rosenborg have scored only once in their last six European away games, and are on a run of three straight defeats on their continental travels.

Team facts
• Aris coach Héctor Cúper made his name in Spain, where the former Argentina defender coached RCD Mallorca, Valencia CF – whom he led to the 2000 and 2001 UEFA Champions League finals – and Real Betis Balompié. He took over at Aris in November 2009.

• Coach Nils Arne Eggen is a legend at Rosenborg, having played for the club in the 1960s and helped them win 11 Norwegian titles in succession as coach from 1992 to 2002, though he took time off during the 1998 campaign.

• Eggen is helping out as caretaker manager following Erik Hamrén's move to take charge of Sweden. Stabæk Fotball coach Jan Jönsson will assume control on 1 January 2011. This is thus set to be Eggen's final competitive game in charge of Rosenborg.

• Cúper came up against Eggen's Rosenborg while he was coach of FC Internazionale Milano, with his side drawing 2-2 in Trondheim and winning 3-0 in Milan in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League first group stage. Midfielder Roar Strand – now 40 - played for Rosenborg in both matches.