Rosenborg v Vardar background
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Article summary
After heavy defeats on matchday one, Rosenborg and Vardar will be eager to get some points on the board as they meet in UEFA Europa League Group L.
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After heavy defeats on matchday one, Rosenborg and Vardar will be eager to get some points on the board as they meet in UEFA Europa League Group L.
Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time; it is the first UEFA men's club competition game between Norwegian and Macedonian sides.
• In 14 games between Norwegian and Macedonian sides in UEFA's other competitions – international, youth, women's and futsal, club and national team – the Macedonian sides have yet to record a win.
Form guide
• Rosenborg's record in 11 UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage home games to date is W2 D2 L7.
• Vardar have won only one of their last 13 UEFA away games (W1 D4 L8), but it was quite a victory – a 2-1 success at Fenerbahçe to take them into this season's group stage.
• Vardar kicked off the group stage with a 5-0 loss to Zenit, matching the margin of their worst ever UEFA home defeat.
• Rosenborg have featured in four UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns, but have yet to make it through one – though they have got to the round of 32 via the UEFA Champions League group stage. The Norwegian side won both legs against 2016/17 runners-up Ajax in this season's play-offs.
• Domestic champions for the third straight year last season, Vardar are the first club from FYR Macedonia to make it to the group stage of a major UEFA competition.
Links and trivia
• The journey from Skopje to Trondheim is around 2,500km.
• Rosenborg's Rune Jarstein turns 33 the day after the game.
• This is Rosenborg's 238th UEFA competition game – and Vardar's 66th.
The coaches
• Trondheim-born Kåre Ingebrigtsen has steered Rosenborg to two Norwegian titles since taking charge in 2014. He played for the club in three spells as a midfielder, and was on the books at Manchester City from 1992–94.
• Cedomir Janevski returned to coach Vardar in August 2017, having previously served the Skopje side as a defender from 1982–89. He spent many of the intervening years in Belgium, where he played for and coached Club Brugge, among other teams.