Viking Faces Selection Dilemma Over Zlatko Tripic Yellow Card
Captain Zlatko Tripic faces a precarious disciplinary tightrope as Viking prepares to face Tromsø on Sunday afternoon, sitting just one yellow card away from a suspension that would force him to miss a crucial upcoming clash against Bodø/Glimt, tv2.no reported.
The Yellow Card Threat Looms Over Stavanger
The 33-year-old midfielder picked up his seventh yellow card of the season on September 4. While he successfully played subsequent matches against Kristiansund, Lillestrøm, Brann, and Fredrikstad without drawing further ire from match officials, his persistent accumulation leaves him perpetually exposed.
If Tripic is cautioned by the referee during Sunday’s match at the banishment of a suspension, he will automatically sit out the fixture at Aspmyra Stadium. TV 2 expert Yaw Amankwah described that upcoming fixture in the podcast Spiss Vinkel as one of the biggest Eliteserien matches in living memory.
Amankwah questioned whether the club should even start their captain, or if deploying him requires a constrained approach.
Amankwah stated that if Tripic went out thinking he did not have the situation in the back of his mind and just went for it, it would be an absolute catastrophe, noting that it will either be with the handbrake on or the bench.
Weighing the Tactical Dilemma on the Pitch
Amankwah noted that keeping the league’s most influential player on the sidelines is inherently problematic, pointing to previous matches where the team struggled without him.
Viking head coach Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim emphasized that the team maintains a narrow focus despite the external speculation. The club intends to tackle the immediate opponent rather than looking too far ahead.
We try to just take one game at a time. It is a tough opponent, and we are going to do everything we can to win that match, Lunde Aarsheim told tv2.no, adding that the team naturally hopes Tripic avoids a booking.
When questioned in the podcast about whether a player can realistically perform at an 80 percent threshold to avoid a reckless tackle, Lunde Aarsheim dismissed the idea with a laugh. That does not work. It does not work, he replied.
Squad Boosts Arrive Ahead of Kickoff
Viking returned to Sola on Thursday with reinforcements ahead of the weekend fixture. Several key players who missed the starting lineup against Aston Villa appear ready to return to competitive action.
The club expects Haugen, Falchener, and Bjørdal to recover in time for Sunday’s match. Meanwhile, Jesper Daland underwent bandaging after the match in Birmingham due to minor calf cramping, though staff confirmed his status remains unproblematic.
The physical and mental turnaround required for the heavy match schedule remains the primary hurdle for the squad, according to Lunde Aarsheim. The last encounter between Viking and Tromsø at Lyse Arena ended in a chaotic 4–4 draw featuring three goals scored during stoppage time, setting a competitive precedent for Sunday’s tactical battle.