Tromsø bring Sheriff to the far north

The 2013/14 UEFA Europa League's longest-standing residents, Tromsø IL will look to make up for a heavy defeat on matchday one when FC Sheriff return to Norway in UEFA Europa League Group K.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time. It is Tromsø's first encounter with Moldovan opponents.

• The only previous tie to be played between Norwegian and Moldovan clubs was Sheriff's 2004/05 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round meeting with Rosenborg BK. The Trondheim side won 2-1 at home and 2-0 in Moldova.

• Norway and Moldova have met in four senior internationals, with Norway winning three of them and the other ending 0-0. Moldova are yet to score a goal against Norway at senior level.

Match background
• Tromsø reached the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage, but finished bottom of their section with a win and three defeats.

• Tromsø lost 3-0 at Tottenham Hotspur FC on matchday one – their heaviest away defeat in the competition to date. However, they have won their last three European home games.

• Tromsø lost 3-2 on aggregate to Beşiktaş JK in the play-offs but were handed a group stage place after the Istanbul side were excluded from the competition.

• Sheriff competed in the 2009/10 and 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stages, failing to advance on both occasions having collected five points each time.

• Sheriff drew 0-0 at home against FC Anji Makhachkala on matchday one. They are yet to win a group stage away game, recording a draw and two defeats on the road in each of their previous campaigns.

Team facts
• Tromsø are the only side in the group stage to have made it through all the way from the first qualifying round.

• Sheriff are one of nine domestic champions involved in this season's group stage along with NK Maribor (Slovenia), Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (Israel), PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria), Legia Warszawa (Poland), FC Shakhter Karagandy (Kazakhstan), APOEL FC (Cyprus), GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) and IF Elfsborg (Sweden).

• Based inside the Arctic Circle, Tromsø are the most northerly side in the group stage – 4,299km separates them from the southernmost representatives, Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

Coach information
• Tromsø dismissed coach Agnar Christensen on Tuesday after a 3-2 league defeat at home against IK Start left them in relegation danger in Norway.

• Steinar Nilsen has taken temporary command at Tromsø after serving as Christensen's assistant. Born in the city, the twice-capped 41-year-old defender served Tromsø in two spells as a player, either side of five years in Italy with AC Milan and SSC Napoli. This is his third spell as the club's coach – he notably led them into the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage in his first period in charge.

• Assisted by Juan Ferrando, Cesc Fàbregas's personal trainer at Arsenal FC, Sheriff coach Veaceslav Rusnac was a defender for a number of clubs. He achieved an unusual first in 2000 when he won the Moldovan league with FC Zimbru Chisinau, the local futsal crown with FC Zarea Balti and the top prize in Moldovan beach football with Palestra. As a coach, he led Moldova's Under-17s, taking charge at Sheriff in July 2013 after spells with several other local sides.