Celtic v Rosenborg facts

Two of the 12 reigning national champions competing in the UEFA Europa League group stage meet in Glasgow on matchday one as Celtic entertain Rosenborg. It is the Norwegian club's third visit to Celtic Park in two seasons, the previous two having ended in a draw and defeat and ultimately elimination from the UEFA Champions League qualifying phase.

Previous meetings
• Celtic have recorded five wins and two draws in their eight matches against Rosenborg. At home they are unbeaten in the fixture (W3 D1), the third of those victories having come in this season's UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg, when two goals from Odsonne Édouard and one from Olivier Ntcham earned a 3-1 win. A goalless draw in Trondheim subsequently sent Celtic through.

• The Scottish champions also got the better of their Norwegian counterparts in last season's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, winning 1-0 away after a goalless draw at home, James Forrest delivering the tie-winning strike in Trondheim. Rosenborg have not won in six visits to Scotland.

Form guide
Celtic
• Celtic won the Scottish treble of Premiership, Scottish Cup and League Cup for the second successive season in 2017/18, but they were unable to secure a hat-trick of UEFA Champions League group stage appearances this term, their elimination of Rosenborg followed by defeat to AEK Athens. A 4-1 aggregate victory over Lithuanian champions Sūduva in the UEFA Europa League play-offs maintained Celtic's post-summer interest in Europe.

• This is Celtic's fifth season in the UEFA Europa League group stage. Three of their four previous campaigns have ended in elimination, the exception 2014/15, when they reached the round of 32. They also got to that stage of the competition last season after finishing third in their UEFA Champions League group, but lost to Zenit.

• The Glasgow club are without a home win in ten European group stage fixtures (D2 L8) but are unbeaten in continental contests at Celtic Park in 2018 (W4 D1).

Rosenborg
• A record 25th Norwegian title in 2017 earned Rosenborg a place in this season's UEFA Champions League qualifying phase. After going out to Celtic they won all four of their UEFA Europa League qualifiers against Cork City and Shkëndija to secure a second successive season in the group stage.

• Rosenborg finished third in their UEFA Europa League group last season – behind Zenit and Real Sociedad – and have yet to progress into the knockout phase in four attempts. Indeed their last 12 European group stage participations across all competitions have been unsuccessful.

• A pair of 2-0 away wins against Cork and Shkëndija reversed Rosenborg's fortunes on their European travels after five games without a win (D1 L4). They have won only once away from home in the UEFA Europa League group stage (D2 L9), 2-1 at Rapid Wien on matchday one in 2012/13.

Links and trivia 
• Celtic's Swedish international defender Mikael Lustig played for Rosenborg between 2008 and 2012, winning two league titles.

• Celtic's Kristoffer Ajer and Rosenborg's Matthías Vilhjálmsson played together in the 2014 and 2015 Norwegian top flight for IK Start. Ajer is a current Norwegian international and team-mate of Rosenborg pair Tore Reginiussen and Birger Meling.

The coaches
• Celtic's Northern Irish boss Brendan Rodgers retired early as a player but made his name in management at Swansea, steering the Welsh club into England's top flight before leaving for Liverpool in June 2012. He led the Reds to a Premier League runners-up spot in 2013/14 but was dismissed in October 2015, resurfacing at Celtic, where he won the Scottish treble with an undefeated record in his first season. All three trophies were successfully defended in 2017/18, making Rodgers the first Hoops manager to win the 'Double Treble'.

• A defender who played for Go Ahead Eagles, Heracles, De Graafschap and AZ Alkmaar in his native Netherlands, Rini Coolen has over 20 years of coaching experience, albeit mostly as an assistant. Before taking over as Rosenborg's interim boss in July 2018 following the dismissal of Kåre Ingebrigtsen, his last head coach role had been a brief stint at the helm of the Aruba national team in 2015. He has also worked in Australia and Dubai.