The Scotsman

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Rini Coolen, pictured below, was appointed interim manager of Rosenborg in July after Kare Ingebrigts­en was sacked six days before the Norwegian club faced Celtic in the Champions League qualifiers. Ingebrigts­en joined fans on stage as they held a rally outside the club’s stadium in support of him while Coolen, the club’s academy director, prepared for the trip to Glasgow. The Dutchman, who played as a defender for Go Ahead Eagles and Heracles, saw his side lose 3-1 in the first leg before ultimately losing the tie but he has not suffered a defeat since, which has quelled the unrest among disgruntle­d fans.

Rosenborg’s form is impressive and they sit top of the Eliteserie­n, two points clear of Brann after 22 games. Coolen’s side are unbeaten in 11 matches in all competitio­ns since the first leg of their Champions League qualifier at Celtic Park on 25 July and they snatched a 3-2 win at Valerenga on Sunday with a stoppage-time goal by Issam Jebali. With seven straight wins in all competitio­ns, Rosenborg will travel to Glasgow with confidence, albeit they have not won in six visits to Scotland.

This will be the third time in just over a year that these two sides have faced each other. Celtic came out on top in both of their recent duels, winning 1-0 on aggregate in the third qualifying round of the Champions League last season before following that up with a 3-1 aggregate win in the second qualifying round of the same tournament this summer, only to lose to AEK Athens in the next round.

After losing out to Celtic, the Norwegian side won all four of their Europa League qualifiers against Cork City and Shkendija to secure a second successive season in the group stage. Overall, the Scottish champions have won five and drawn two of their eight matches against Rosenborg and are unbeaten at home in the fixture.

Nicklas Bendtner is the best known of the Rosenborg players but the 30-year-old former Arsenal striker is reportedly struggling with injury. Fellow Denmark internatio­nal Mike Jensen is an integral part of the side. The 30-year-old midfielder, who started his career at Brondby IF, where his father Henrik Jensen both played and managed, is a leader and a certain pick. He often plays in front of two holding midfielder­s and gives Rosenborg different attacking options.

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