To be honest, many football fans outside Norway - or perhaps the Scandinavian region in general - should be forgiven if they have not heard about the team that stand between Borussia Dortmund and a spot in the Europa League group stages. Odds Ballklubb, known as Odd, are one of Norway's oldest clubs, having being founded in March 1884 and finished third in the Tippeligaen, Norwegian football's top flight last season. They also finished as runners-up in the Norwegian Football Cup, a trophy that they have won 12 times - the most of any side in Norway - after losing 2-0 to Molde FK in last season's final.
The hosts have never won their domestic league, have never clinched any titles on the European stage and their last trophy win was a Norwegian Football Cup back in 2000. However, under manager Dag-Eilev Fagermo, they are experiencing their best European campaign in their history. The Oddrane have already defeated Moldovan outfit Sheriff, Ireland's Shamrock Rovers and Swedish side Elfsborg to secure their spot at this juncture, and with a record of three wins, two draws, and one loss in European competitions at their home ground, will be fancying their chances against their German visitors.
Unlike the Bundesliga, or many of Europe's bigger leagues for that matter, the Tippeligaen is well in full swing, and Odd are presently in fifth place after 20 rounds of action. Canadian international Olivier Occéan is the team's top marksman in his second spell with the club, having netted nine in all competitions, including one during his team's comfortable 4-0 win over IK Start on August 16th.
Meanwhile, Dortmund, after their frustrating time last season, appear to have put those troubles well behind them. The 2013 Champions League finalists had solid summer in pre-season and have began both their domestic and continental campaigns off on the right footing. With Thomas Tuchel now in charge, die Schwarzgelben easily cruised to a 6-0 aggregate win over Austrian side Wolfsberger and easily dispatched Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-0 in their league opener at home on August 15th. They will be coming into this match with a perfect 100 per cent win record in their last five matches across all competitions, scoring 14 and conceding none.
Despite their side holding the clear advantage in this contest, Dortmund fans received some concerning news about one of their stars earlier:
BREAKING: Marco Reus, Kuba Blaszczykowski and Lukas Piszczek have not flown to Norway for @BVB's game against Odd Grenland. #BVB
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) August 19, 2015
Given his injury problems that plagued him last season, Reus not making the trip is certainly a worry for the team's legions of loyal fans. His coach, though, was quick to downplay things, noting that the German international not making the trip was merely to err on the side of caution. Nonetheless, the team do boast players like the speedy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the talented Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who combined to score three out of their team's four goals this past Saturday, meaning that Odd followers will not be able to breathe a real sigh of relief with Reus's absence.
For Odd, this Europa League campaign has been nothing short of a Cinderella tale. Only 180 minutes - and Borussia Dortmund - stand between them and making their first-ever group stage appearance. However, Dortmund fans will expect nothing less than a win as the team seeks to reward their loyal supporters for sticking by them through some dark times last season.
As such, fans and casual observers will surely be in for an entertaining two-legged clash from kick-off to the final whistle.
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