Uefa Europa League
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UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2020/21 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Molde Stadion - Molde Thursday 26 November 2020 18.55CET (18.55 local time) Molde FK Group B - Matchday 4 Arsenal FC Last updated 24/11/2020 17:11CET Match background 2 Legend 3 1 Molde FK - Arsenal FC Thursday 26 November 2020 - 18.55CET (18.55 local time) Match press kit Molde Stadion, Molde Match background Molde will hope to continue an impressive run of home form in Europe as they host an Arsenal side that beat them 4-1 in north London last time out, have yet to drop a point in Group B and could secure their place in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 with a positive result in Norway. • It was Molde who scored first at the Arsenal Stadium on Matchday 3, through Martin Ellingsen's spectacular long- range strike, but two own goals turned the game in the home side's favour before Nicolas Pépé and Joe Willock, who had also both scored in a 3-0 home win against Dundalk the previous week, cemented Arsenal's third win out of three. That gave them a three-point advantage over the Norwegian side at the top of the group table. Previous meetings • While Matchday 3 brought Molde a first encounter with English opposition, Arsenal have been paired with Norwegian clubs twice before, beating Strømsgodset 7-1 on aggregate (3-1 a, 4-0 h) in their first ever European Champion Clubs' Cup tie, in 1970/71, and taking four points off Rosenborg in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage (1-1 a, 5-1 h). Form guide Molde • Champions of Norway in 2019, claiming their fourth title in nine years, Molde returned to the UEFA Europa League group stage having just missed out on a place in the UEFA Champions League. Following qualifying victories against KuPS (5-0 h), Celje (2-1 a) and Qarabağ (0-0 a, 6-5 on pens), Erling Moe's side lost out in the play-offs on away goals to Ferencváros (3-3 h, 0-0 a). • Defeated in the UEFA Europa League play-offs in each of the past two seasons – by Zenit in 2018/19 and Partizan in 2019/20 – Molde are competing in the group stage for the third time. Bottom of their group in 2012/13, they defied the odds to top a section including Fenerbahçe, Ajax and Celtic in 2015/16 before losing to eventual winners Sevilla in the round of 32 (0-3 a, 1-0 h). • Molde are unbeaten in 12 European home games (W9 D3), their last defeat coming against Fenerbahçe (0-2) on Matchday 5 of that 2015/16 UEFA Europa League campaign. They have kept eight clean sheets in those matches. Arsenal • Eighth in the 2019/20 Premier League, Arsenal ensured a 25th consecutive season in Europe by winning the FA Cup under new manager Mikel Arteta – the club's record 14th triumph in the competition – with a 2-1 victory over London rivals Chelsea in the final. Their third successive UEFA Europa League campaign ended in the round of 32 with an extra-time away goals defeat by Olympiacos (1-0 a, 1-2 h). • UEFA Champions League ever-presents for 19 seasons in a row from 1998/99 to 2016/17, Arsenal reached the UEFA Europa League semi-finals at the first attempt in 2017/18, losing to eventual winners Atlético de Madrid, before going one step further and making it to the 2018/19 final, where they were defeated 4-1 by Chelsea in Baku. They have been group winners on all three of their appearances. • The 1999/2000 UEFA Cup runners-up are unbeaten in seven European away games (W5 D2) since Rennes defeated them 3-1 in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg. Their overall away record in the UEFA Europa League is W12 D3 L4; in the group stage it is W7 D2 L1, the only defeat coming at Köln (0-1) in 2017/18. Links and trivia • Two Molde players, Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Etzaz Hussain, spent time together in the Manchester United academy at the start of their careers (2009–11). • Eikrem, the Molde skipper, also played in the Premier League and Championship for Cardiff City in 2014, making 13 appearances for the club in all competitions. • Arsenal's Kieran Tierney was in the Celtic side, led by Norwegian coach Ronny Delia, that lost 2-1 at home to Molde in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League group stage. • Arsenal's win on Matchday 3 was their 26th in the UEFA Europa League, group stage to final, the most in the competition by an English club – two more than local rivals Tottenham. • Molde surrendered their domestic title at the weekend as Bodø/Glimt were crowned champions of Norway for the first time. 2 Molde FK - Arsenal FC Thursday 26 November 2020 - 18.55CET (18.55 local time) Match press kit Molde Stadion, Molde Legend Competitions Club competitions National team competitions UCL: UEFA Champions League EURO: UEFA European Football Championship ECCC: European Champion Clubs' Cup WC: FIFA World Cup UEL: UEFA Europa League CONFCUP: FIFA Confederations Cup UCUP: UEFA Cup FRIE: Friendly internationals UCWC: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup U21FRIE: Under-21 friendly internationals SCUP: UEFA Super Cup U21: UEFA European Under-21 Championship UIC: UEFA Intertoto Cup U17: UEFA Under-17 Championship ICF: Inter-Cities Fairs Cup U16: UEFA European Under-16 Championship U19: UEFA Under-19 Championship U18: UEFA European Under-18 Championship WWC: FIFA Women's World Cup WEURO: UEFA European Women's Championship Competition stages Other abbreviations F: Final GS: Group stage (aet): After extra time pens: Penalties GS1: First group stage GS2: Second group stage No.: Number og: Own goal 3QR: Third qualifying round R1: First round ag: Match decided on away P: Penalty R2: Second round R3: Third round goals agg: Aggregate R4: Fourth round PR: Preliminary round Pld: Matches played AP: Appearances SF: Semi-finals QF: Quarter-finals Pos.: Position Comp.: Competition R16: round of 16 QR: Qualifying round Pts: Points D: Drawn R32: Round of 32 1QR: First qualifying round R: Sent off (straight red card) DoB: Date of birth 1st: first leg 2QR: Second qualifying Res.: Result ET: Extra Time round sg: Match decided by silver GA: Goals against 2nd: second leg FT: Final tournament goal t: Match decided by toss of a PO: Play-off ELITE: Elite round coin Rep: Replay 3rdPO: Third-place play-off GF: Goals for W: Won PO - FT: Play-off for Final GS-FT: Group stage – final gg: Match decided by golden Y: Booked Tournament tournament goal L: Lost Y/R: Sent off (two yellow Nat.: Nationality cards) N/A: Not applicable f: Match forfeited Statistics -: Denotes player substituted +: Denotes player introduced *: Denotes player sent off +/-: Denotes player introduced and substituted Squad list D: Disciplinary *: Misses next match if booked S: Suspended QUAL: All UEFA qualifiers UEL: Current season total UEFA Europa League appearances from the group stage onwards prior to the current matchday UEL: Total appearances in the UEFA Europa League, group stage to final only UEFA: All-time total appearances in UEFA club competition including qualifying Disclaimer: Although UEFA has taken all reasonable care that the information contained within this document is accurate at the time of publication, no representation or guarantee (including liability towards third parties), expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, reliability or completeness. Therefore, UEFA assumes no liability for the use or interpretation of information contained herein. More information can be found in the competition regulations available on UEFA.com. 3.