Who are Ostersunds? Arsenal’s Europa League opponents have already knocked out Galatasaray and Hertha Berlin
The Swedish minnows were only formed in 1996 - the year that Arsenal Wenger took over at the Gunners

ASK Arsenal fans about the Europa League and they will have very little positive to say.
But supporters of Swedish minnows Ostersunds have a very different opinion.
The Swedes have been on an incredible journey in the last six years, rising from the fourth tier of Swedish football to the Europa League knockout stages.
The club – who were founded just 21 years ago – reached a new high, qualifying for the Europa League last 32 from a tough group.
It comprised of Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin and Zorya.
So who are Ostersunds and how did they get to this point? Our friends at tell their incredible story.
Top Stories From the Premier League
They were Founded in 1996 - the year Arsenal Wenger joined Arsenal - when local sides Ope IF, IFK Ostersund and Ostersund/Torvalla merged.
The hope was the newly-founded club would one day reach the Swedish Allsvenskan – the top flight of domestic football.
A year later another side, Froso IF, also joined up and Ostersunds started life in the third tier. In their first four years of existence they twice qualified for the end-of-season play-offs.
But that was as good as it got until 2000 when Kindberg used his relationship with future Everton and Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, then a player with Swansea City, and Graeme Jones to build a relationship with the Swans.
The idea was for young Swans' players to move on loan to Ostersunds.
But in 2010 Ostersunds slipped into the fourth tier for the first time in their history and Kindberg quit.
"I didn't like the negativity and the way we were fighting about stupid things," Kindberg said.
"It was the normal thing in football: white, heterosexual, powerful men arguing and blaming each other for this and that. I'd had enough, so I left.
Thankfully for Ostersunds, Kindberg soon returned to his role and was tasked with finding a new head coach to get the club moving in the right direction.
He had someone in mind, too: former Southampton and West Brom defender Graham Potter, who had been working at Leeds Metropolitan University at the time.
Potter immediately proved his coaching mettle as Ostersunds won promotion at the first attempt. They did not know it at the time, but this was to be the start of something special.
It’s safe to say captain Brwa Nouri is a fan. "He's not only a football coach. He's probably one of the best men I've ever met in my life,” he gushed.
A year later Ostersunds were celebrating once more, having won promotion to the Superettan, the Swedish second tier, for the first time in their brief history.
After three seasons in the Superettan – finishing 10th, fifth and first – the fairytale was complete as Ostersunds reached the Allsvenskan, the top table of Swedish football, by finishing as runners-up.
Despite their lack of top-flight pedigree, Ostersunds took to life in the Allsvenskan with relative ease and finish the 2016 campaign in eighth place.
They improved on that the following season, climbing three places to fifth and winning the Swedish Cup by beating Norrkoping in the final.
That was the club’s first major trophy and it also saw them clinch a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
Ostersunds could not have faced a much tougher draw with Turkish giants Galatasaray coming out the hat in the second qualifying round.
A 2-0 home win was followed by a 1-1 draw in Istanbul to set up a tie with Fola Esch of Luxembourg. Another 3-1 aggregate triumph put Ostersunds within 180 minutes of the group stages.
Greek side PAOK – twice winners of the Greek Championship and five-time Greek Cup winners – stood in their way.
After going ahead in the first leg away from home, Ostersunds went down 3-1 and an incredible journey looked, finally, to be over.
💰How to claim your FREE £30 bet💰
1
2 Bet £10 or more
3 Sun Bets will stick a £30 bet in your account
But Nouri’s penalty opener proved vital for the Swedes, who won the second leg 2-0 at their tiny Jamtkraft Arena – capacity 8,466 – to progress to the group stages.
MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
So how far can Ostersunds go? Director of football Kindberg is aiming for the stars.
"We can win the Europa League. Absolutely, we can," he said. "If we couldn't, there's no point competing. You shouldn't hope. You should believe. That's the difference.”
Given the club’s journey over the last six years, who can blame him?