Molde have won both of their previous Europa League visits to Germany, beating VfB Stuttgart in December 2012 and Hoffenheim in February 2021. However, they now come up against the only team yet to drop a point in this year’s competition. Arsenal in 2020/21 were the last team to complete a perfect Europa League group stage with six wins from six. The only German team to ever achieve the feat was Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018/19.
The Norwegians are second in the Group H scoring chart with 11 goals, behind Bayer 04 (14). Kristian Eriksen is their main man with four goals, which is as many as Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.
Molde recently won the Norwegian Cup for the sixth time in their history, beating newly crowned league champions Bodo/Glimt 1-0 in the final last weekend. It was a nice end to a season that perhaps didn’t quite go to plan as the reigning Norwegian champions only finished fifth in the Eliteserien to miss out on European qualification there. They finished 10 points off the European places and 19 behind new champions Bodo/Glimt. However, winning the cup will see them enter the first rounds of qualifying for the 2024/25 Europa League.
All options are still on the table for Molde in Europe this season, however. If they manage to better Qarabag’s result at home to Häcken at the same time on Thursday, they will claim second place and a spot in the knockout rounds play-offs. Otherwise, the Norwegians will be in the UEFA Europa Conference League. You can find out more about today’s opponents in our profile piece.
Anyone wanting to read key information before the game should take a look at the new Werkself Live. The matchday programme, offering the most important facts and stats on the game in compact form, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively, it is available free online HERE.
UEFA have appointed England’s Robert Jones as the referee for tonight’s Molde clash. His assistants are compatriots Neil Davies and James Mainwaring. The VAR is Dennis Higler of the Netherlands.
As usual, Werkself Radio is available for anybody unable to be at today's game. The audio broadcast in German begins 30 minutes before kick-off. The half-time guest is former Bayer 04 player Arne Larsen Ökland, who spent three years in Leverkusen and famously scored a hat-trick against Bayern Munich in March 1981.
In addition, the live text update service will keep you up-to-date to ensure you don't miss any of the key match action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available on bayer04.de and in the Bayer 04 app.
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