Molde welcome back Stuttgart

Molde FK will look to avenge a recent defeat against VfB Stuttgart as the sides reconvene in UEFA Europa League Group E, with the Norwegian side eager to keep a decent home run going.

Previous meetings
• Christian Gross's Stuttgart denied Kjell Jonevret's Molde a place in the 2010/11 UEFA Cup group stage, beating them 5-4 on aggregate in a tight third qualifying round tie.

• The teams for their first meeting in Norway, a 3-2 Stuttgart win on 29 July 2010 were:
Molde: Lillebakk, Andreasson, Holm, Hestad* (Skjølsvik 79), Thioune (Emil Johansson 65), Moström* (Runström 86), Hoseth*, Magne Simonsen*, Fall, Rindarøy*, Forren*.
Stuttgart: Ulreich*, Molinaro*, Niedermeier*, Kuzmanović*, Marica, Gebhart, Rudy (Didavi* 72), Gentner*, Celozzi, Pogrebnyak (Boka 79), Träsch (Funk 79).

• Molde took a 2-0 lead in the return fixture, but were held 2-2 on 5 August 2010. The teams were:
Stuttgart: Ulreich*, Molinaro*, Niedermeier*, Kuzmanović*, Marica (Harnik* 86), Gebhart, Funk (Boulahrouz 61), Rudy (Didavi* 71), Gentner*, Pogrebnyak, Träsch.
Molde: Lillebakk, Andreasson, Hestad*, Thioune (Holm 79), Moström* (Skjølsvik 89), Hoseth*, Emil Johansson (Diouf* 86), Magne Simonsen*, Fall, Rindarøy*, Forren*.

* registered to play in 2012/13.

Match background
• The two sides have no experience of opposition from their opponents' home country apart from their previous meetings.

• Molde have played only three European home games since Stuttgart's last visit – two wins and a defeat.

• Stuttgart have not won in their three most recent continental away fixtures – two defeats followed by a draw.

• Norwegian champions Molde are competing in their first UEFA group stage campaign.

• This is Stuttgart's fifth group stage campaign in this competition, and they have never failed to reach the knockout phase. Prior to a 2-2 draw against FC Steaua Bucureşti on matchday one, they had won their last four group stage games.

Team facts
• Stuttgart's Danish midfielder William Kvist played alongside Molde midfielder Magne Hoseth at FC København (2004–05).

• Solskjær left his home-town club Clausenengen FK for Molde in 1994, and played for them in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup before embarking on a glittering career as a forward at Manchester United FC, where he won six English titles, two FA Cups and scored the winner in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League final. Taking charge of the Old Trafford club's reserve team after hanging up his boots, he returned to Molde to become coach, leading them to a first Norwegian title in his debut season, 2011.

• Solskjær never appeared in the UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League as a player.

• Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia played up front for some of Germany's top clubs – Hamburger SV, FC Bayern München and SV Werder Bremen among others – and is the only player to have scored more than 100 goals in both of Germany's top divisions. Since starting his coaching career at home-town side SV Darmstadt 98, he has been in charge at Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Hamburg, taking over at Stuttgart in 2010.