Red Bull Salzburg carry a 1-0 aggregate lead from the first leg and return to a home ground where they have kept clean sheets in all three continental matches this season. Mjallby AIF’s task is made far harder by a squad rotation that sees six regular starters missing from their…
Sign in for full analysis →Sign in to view how our call changed
Sign inRed Bull Salzburg host Mjallby AIF in the UEFA Europa League play-off second leg on Thursday, August 27, defending a slender 1-0 lead from the first meeting in Sweden. A stoppage-time Tom Pettersson own goal at Strandvallen handed Danny Röhl's side a narrow advantage, though the performance left the head coach insisting improvement is needed.
Salzburg remain without Justin Omoregie and Anrie Chase, both sidelined with thigh injuries. Frans Krätzig is a long-term absentee with a thigh problem, while Soumaila Diabate, Gaoussou Diakite and Johannes Moser all missed the first leg and are unlikely to feature. Leandro Morgalla is a doubt after suffering a knee knock against WSG Tirol, though Enrique Aguilar (forearm) and Stefan Lainer (heel) could be available again within the next fortnight.
For Mjällby, Finnish forward Timo Stavitski is out with a back injury and winger Elliot Stroud has left the club. Striker Abdoulie Manneh joined Cercle Brugge on loan. Karl Marius Aksum's likely setup includes Wallinder in goal, a back three of Iqbal, Svanberg and Pettersson, and wing-backs Granath and Hoffmann supporting a front three of Kjaer, Bergström and Samuelsen.
The Swedish champions, who lifted their first Allsvenskan title in 2025, have lost momentum domestically and sit 11th, only four points above the relegation zone. A 4-3 win over leaders Sirius offered brief respite but their Champions League journey ended against Slovan Bratislava before they edged past Lincoln Red Imps. Mjällby must score at least once to keep their Europa League dream alive.
Missing the Austrian Bundesliga title for a third straight season forced Salzburg into Europa League qualifying for the first time in 11 years. Röhl's squad has since found rhythm, following a victory over Pafos with a league win against WSG Tirol in which Karim Konaté, Krätzig and Sota Kitano all scored. Attacking depth—Haris Tabaković, Yorbe Vertessen, Edmund Baidoo and Damir Redzic—gives the visitors multiple ways to hurt Mjällby on the counter.
Mjällby’s 3-4-3 shape relies on wing-backs pushing high to create overloads, with Áki Samuelsen receiving between the lines and Jacob Bergström holding the ball up. If Salzburg’s press can disrupt that first pass and win second balls, they will expose space in transition. Tabaković remains the obvious finishing threat, but Konaté has scored in consecutive games and the bench options—Barry, Kjaergaard, Camara—allow Röhl to sustain intensity.
The winner of the tie enters the Europa League league phase; the loser drops into the Conference League. For Mjällby, a first European group-stage campaign is already guaranteed, but overturning a 1-0 deficit would add another extraordinary chapter to the fishing village’s fairy tale.
Sign in to view match stats
Sign inSign in to view lineups
Sign inSign in to view head to head
Sign in
