Norwegian champions have momentum and stability going into their first ever group stage game, against Juventus
he first time only ever happens once. It is both a time to celebrate the hard work that got you here and an opportunity to build a platform for the future. For the Norwegian champions, Vålerenga, their first ever Champions League group stage match, against Juventus, is one of those moments.
Reaching the European stage has been a lengthy aspiration for Vålerenga, a club whose progress has not always been linear. Despite forming a women’s team in 1982, it was dismantled for several years before being re-established in 1996. From that point, Vålerenga moved up through the divisions with some bumps along the way before finally achieving promotion to the highest level of domestic football in Norway in 2011.
While Vålerenga might be dominating at home – they are unbeaten in the league since June – the contest in Europe will pose a completely different challenge. Victories against Romania’s Farul Constanta and the Belgian side Anderlecht were the first two hurdles to overcome in qualifying and the quality in opposition will be substantially higher from now on.
This is not just the case in Norway; teams in Sweden and elsewhere across Europe have to deal with a flux of players as their stars get scouted and enticed away by richer, better-resourced leagues.
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