Vindheim warns of Vikings: they’re running, they want to play football, artificial turf is their advantage

He helped Schalke to return to the Bundesliga, now Norwegian Andreas Vindheim returns to Sparta and is looking forward to the match with his compatriots from Viking. Sparta will take on them in the Conference Europa League qualifiers.

Sparta declared a title challenge before last season but ended up finishing third, mainly due to a poor second half of the season. It could have at least played Europa League qualification, but in the MOL Cup final it lost to Slovácko 1:3.

Sparta should be seeded in the first two rounds, but most likely not in the third. It will face Viking, currently the third team in the Norwegian league.

“It’s funny that we will be playing against a Norwegian team. It will definitely not be an easy opponent. They’ve been doing quite well this season. Yes, it has to be said, the Norwegian league has been going on for a while now, and that may be their advantage. It will be an interesting duel,” Vindheim told the club’s website.

Vindheim is from Norway and has even started for the national team. When he came to Sparta, the fans had high expectations, but he has failed to live up to his potential and remains behind expectations.

He spent the last six months as a guest at Schalke and did more than decent, yet he will have a hard time at Sparta. Tomáš Wiesner has a solid place on the right side, and Jan Mejdra, a reinforcement from Hradec Králové, has also been in the squad since the summer.

“I know some of the players. I follow the Norwegian league all the time. Not that I watch every game, but I watch all the highlights. I know them quite well,” continued the Norwegian defender.

The Vikings are going to the second round of the Conference League thanks to their third place finish last season. This year it looks even more promising, from third place they are only three points behind the leader Lillestrom, it could be a battle for the title.

While Sparta will be the clear favourites, there are two factors at play for Viking. The return leg will be played on their home pitch in front of their own fans, plus they have artificial turf, which makes it difficult for their opponents.

“They are strong at home. They have a stadium with artificial turf. That is also their advantage. It’s a team that is used to playing at a high intensity. They are running, they want to play football. They don’t kick a lot of long balls. Itwill definitely be an interesting confrontation,” Vindheim added.

Source: AC Sparta Praha