Another Champions League night brings another chance to qualify for the knockout stages. Club historian Rick Glanvill and statistician Paul Dutton look forward to a night in Norway.

Rick weighs up a contest between two newly installed managers.

 

Tests down the years have shown that the greatest deficit in motor performance by humans occurs under the coldest conditions. In Trondheim at three o'clock tomorrow local time (one hour ahead of the UK) it will be dark, and one degree Celsius above freezing.

By the time the teams kick off it will be minus two, with the possibility of snowy flurries. I don't know about you, but my motor performance would struggle in that scenario.

No wonder Rosenborg have never lost to an English team at home in Europe - they're used to their weather, and we're accustomed to dreary mildness. They have their Arctic Circle, we have the M25. Or maybe Newcastle.

However, the climate today will compare favourably to that ten years ago in the Cup Winners' Cup at Tromsø. How the game was allowed to continue when a half-time blizzard covered all pitch markings - twice play was paused to shovel the white stuff away.

Gianluca Vialli was Chelsea's hero after the be-gloved Blues were caught cold by their part-time opponents and it finished 2-3. We won the second leg 7-1 and serenaded visiting fans: 'You only sing when it's snowing!'

Chelsea's defensive record in Norway isn't great. We also lost 2-4 (with Carlo Cudicini, Robert Huth, Gallas, John Terry and Graeme Le Saux) to Viking in the Uefa Cup in 2002. Three years earlier, defending the Cup Winners' Cup, we had beaten Valerenga 3-2 (Ed de Goey, Bernard Lambourde, Michael Duberry, JT, Le Saux).

Terry and Carlo are back again tonight and will be looking to maintain our impressive run of nine clean sheets in 12 matches since the defeat at Old Trafford.

Our hosts aim to qualify for the post-Christmas knockout phase of the Champions League for only the second time in 11 attempts. Rosenborg are giants of the local league having but unavoidable weather conditions make the timing of their season something of a hindrance.

Their last league game was on November 3, leaving them fifth-placed at the end of the Tippeligaen.

If Chelsea might claim three opposition managers' scalps recently - Sammy Lee, Chris Hutchings and Billy Davies have all fallen on their swords after losing to the Blues - the Norwegians can point to two departures after European games against them this season.

José Mourinho was gone the day after their creditable 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, and Quique Flores lasted just one more game at Valencia before taking a bullet.

The incentives are high for Rosenborg and as Trondheim is the nation's religious capital there will be no shortage of faith. They lie second in Group B ahead of Schalke, who must be hoping Chelsea do them a favour by snatching all three points from the mouth of the river Nidelva. The newly confident Germans are at Mestalla, home of a Valencia team that has yet to revive under new manager Ronald Koeman. If Rosenborg win and Schalke fail, the Norwegians are through.

Striker Yssouf Koné has contrasted his side's success in Europe with the relative disappointment in the league and pointed to the tactical variation. Domestically Trondheim played 4-5-1, with widemen upfront, but in the Champions League they have often fielded a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield formation that provided closer advanced support for him and preferred partner Steffen Iversen.

Koné scored one in the 2-0 win over Valencia in Norway and the former Spurs forward netted both in a similar scoreline at Mestalla.

With Marek Sapara at the front of the diamond and Per Ciljan Skjelbred and Abdou Traore wide, it's a fluid system that worked brilliantly against the troubled Spaniards.

When they tried a 4-3-3 formation at home to Schalke in early October they were pinned back and patiently taken apart. The visitors beat Christer Basma and Miika Koppinen's risky offside trap to open the scoring and a late piece of skill from Kuranyi made it 2-0.

Rosenborg know Chelsea will hardly be a pushover. Let's not forget that they managed their triumphant stalemate at the Bridge in the absence of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, and despite almost 30 shots raining down on keeper Lars Hirschfeld.

With no league matches to maintain sharpness, Rosenborg are not good enough defensively to stop Chelsea creating chances. Didier Drogba has travelled and may play. Salomon Kalou has now scored five goals in his last nine matches for club and country and it should probably have been six on Saturday. He is becoming known as 'Kalunho' in Ivory Coast.

Chelsea need one more win to qualify for more continental frivolities in the spring. With the motors properly revving from the start, it should not be a problem.

 

ROSENBORG V CHELSEA - Paul Dutton with the Scandinavia versus England stats.

Rosenborg have never lost at home to an English club in European competition. The three previous occasions have seen two wins and a draw.
1969/70 Inter Cities Fairs Cup first round
Southampton (h) W 1-0, (a) L 0-2 (1-2 on aggregate)
1995/96 Champions League group stage
Blackburn Rovers (h) W 2-1, (a) L 1-4
2004/05 Champions League group stage
Arsenal (h) D 1-1, (a) L 1-5

Rosenborg's last game was the Champions League 2-0 victory at Mestalla against Valencia three weeks ago. Their triumphant team was: (4-5-1) Hirschfeld; Stoor, Kvarme, Riseth, Dorsin; Iversen, Sapara (Konan Ya 84), Tettey, Skjelbred (Storflor 79), Traoré; Koné. Steffen Iversen scored both goals.

The Norwegian 26-game league runs between April and November. Rosenborg completed their season on November 3rd with an away win at Aalesund. They finished the season in a disappointing fifth position, 13 points behind champions Brann Bergen.

Rosenborg BK have dominated Norwegian football winning 14 of the last 16 league championships. Apart from this year Rosenborg finished seventh in 2005 when Vålerenga were champions.

Rosenborg play in Trondheim at the 21,166 capacity Lerkendal stadium.

Rosenborg's last five years in Europe
2002/03 Champions League - first group stage
2003/04 Champions League - third qualifying round, UEFA Cup - third round
2004/05 Champions League - group stage
2005/06 Champions League - group stage, UEFA Cup - round of 32
2006/07 Did not qualify

Rosenborg's best performance in Europe was in 1996/97 when they reached the quarter-finals but lost to eventual finalists Juventus. They eliminated AC Milan in the group stage by winning 2-1 at the San Siro on matchday six.

The Norwegians' European Cup record is played 120, won 44, drawn 26, lost 50.

In domestic competition they have won 20 league titles and nine national cups.

Rosenborg's last six domestic games
Sep 23 Sandefjord (h) W 2-0
Sep 30 Fredrikstad (a) L 3-4
Oct 7 Odd (h) W 4-1
Oct 21 Lillestrom (a) L 1-4
Oct 28 Lyn (h) W 3-0
Nov 3 Aalesund (a) W 2-1

Rosenborg entered this season's Champions League at the second qualifying stage.

Second qualifying round
Astana (Kazakhstan) (a) W 3-1 Kone 2, Iversen (pen)
Astana (h) W 7-1 Kone 2, Iversen, Traoré 3, Sapara

Third qualifying round
Tampere (Finland) (a) W 3-0 Koppinen, Kone 2
Tampere (h) W 2-0 Sapara, Konan

Group B
Matchday 1 Sep 18 Chelsea (a) D 1-1
Matchday 2 Oct 3 Schalke (h) L 0-2
Matchday 3 Oct 24 Valencia (h) W 2-0
Matchday 4 Nov 6 Valencia (a) W 2-0

Appearances (excluding qualifying games) Dorsin 4, Hirschfeld 4, Riseth 4, Sapara 4, Skjelbred 4, Tettey 4, Traoré 4, Iversen 3+1, Koné 3+1, Strand 3, Kvarme 2+1, Basma 2, Koppinen 2, Stoor 1+1, Konan Ya 0+3, Storflor 0+2.

Goals (excluding qualifying games) Iversen 2, Koné 1, Koppinen 1, Riseth 1.

Chelsea have lost two of our three previous visits to Norway in European competition.

1997/98 European Cup-Winners' Cup second round
Tromsø (a) L 2-3, (h) W 7-1 (9-4 on aggregate)
1998/99 European Cup-Winners' Cup quarter-final
Vålerenga (Oslo) (h) W 3-0, (a) W 3-2 (5-2 on aggregate)
2002/03 UEFA Cup first round
Viking (Stavanger) (h) W 2-1, (a) L 2-4 (4-5 on aggregate)

We are unbeaten on the road in seven games winning six at Hull, Valencia, Bolton, Middlesbrough, Wigan and Derby and drawing at Schalke conceding just one goal at Valencia. Our last defeat was at Manchester United 12 games ago.

Our Champions League results are as follows:
Matchday 1 Sep 18 Rosenborg (h) D 1-1
Matchday 2 Oct 3 Valencia (a) W 2-1
Matchday 3 Oct 24 Schalke (h) W 2-0
Matchday 4 Nov 6 Schalke (a) D 0-0

Appearances Cech 4, J Cole 4, Essien 4, Makelele 4, Malouda 4, Alex 3+1, Carvalho 3, Drogba 3, Belletti 2, Bridge 2, A Cole 2, Ferreira 2, Lampard 2, Terry 2, Kalou 1+2, Mikel 1+2, Shevchenko 1+1, Wright-Phillips 0+2, Ben-Haim 0+1, Cudicini 0+1, Sidwell 0+1.

Goals Drogba 2, J Cole 1, Malouda 1, Shevchenko 1

After four matches, Chelsea top group B with eight points followed by Rosenborg on seven. Schalke are third on four points and Valencia have three. Chelsea will win the group should we take all three points in Norway.

Chelsea's overall record in European competition is played 134, won 72, drawn 34, lost 28. This is our eleventh season in succession in Europe.

Chelsea have won four (Anderlecht, Levski Sofia and Valencia twice) and lost two (Liverpool and Werder Bremen) of our last 10 away Champions League games. The draws were against Barcelona twice, Porto and Schalke.

This season is our sixth appearance in the Champions League. We have been semi-finalists in 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2006/07, quarter-finalists in 1999/2000 and the last 16 in 2005/06.

Chelsea have played 62 games in the Champions League proper (excluding qualifying games). We have won 31, drawn 17 and lost 14.

If selected, Shaun Wright-Phillips will play his 100th game for the club and Claudio Pizarro will make his 50th career Champions League appearance.

UEFA club competition all-time top scorers: Filippo Inzaghi (Parma, Juventus, AC Milan) 62, Gerd Muller (Bayern Munich) 62, Raul (Real Madrid) 60, Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan, Chelsea) 60, Eusebio (Benfica) 56, Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV, Man Utd, Real Madrid) 56.

European Cup / UEFA Champions League all time top scorers: Raul (Real Madrid) 58, Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan, Chelsea) 56, Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV, Man Utd, Real Madrid) 56, Alfredo Di Stefano (Real Madrid) 49, Eusebio (Benfica) 47.

The referee is Portugal's Olegário Benquerença. He has never previously officiated a Chelsea or Rosenborg match.

There are no suspensions on either side. Michael Essien has been booked twice and is one yellow card away from a one match European ban. John Mikel Obi and seven Rosenborg players have been booked on one occasion.

Champions League finalists since the start of the FA Premier League and UEFA Champions League in 1992/93:
AC Milan 6, Juventus 4, Real Madrid 3, Ajax 2, Barcelona 2, Bayern Munich 2, Liverpool 2, Valencia 2, Arsenal 1, Bayer Leverkusen 1, Dortmund 1, Manchester United 1, Marseille 1, Monaco 1, Porto 1.

OUR FIRST MEETING AT STAMFORD BRIDGE
UEFA Champions League, Tuesday September 18th 2007 at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech; Belletti, Alex, Terry (c), A Cole (Ben-Haim 72); J Cole (Wright-Phillips 72), Makelele, Essien, Malouda; Kalou, Shevchenko.
Manager José Mourinho
Booked Essien
Scorer Shevchenko (52)
Rosenborg (4-3-3): Hirschfeld; Strand (c), Basma (Kvarme h/t), Koppinen, Dorsin; Sapara (Konan Ya 68), Riseth, Tettey; Skjelbred (Iversen 84), Koné, Traoré.
Manager Knut Tørum
Scorer Koppinen (24)
Booked Dorsin, Koné
Referee Laurent Duhamel (France)
Crowd 24,973
José Mourinho's last match in charge.