Mjällby vs FC Red Bull Salzburg

Thursday's Europa League play-off between Mjällby AIF and RB Salzburg carries real stakes — the winner reaches the lucrative league phase, while the loser drops into the Conference League. On paper it looks lopsided: Mjällby currently sit a modest 13th in Allsvenskan as they defend last year's title, whereas Salzburg finished as runners-up in the Austrian Bundesliga last season. Mjällby reached this stage by winning the Svenska Cupen before falling 4-1 on aggregate to Slovan Bratislava in Champions League qualifying, and head coach Karl Marius Aksum will hope a run in Europe can steady a shaky domestic campaign. Salzburg's path was far more dramatic — trailing 2-0 away to Pafos in the second leg, they clawed back to a 3-3 draw thanks to a second-half hat-trick from Haris Tabakovic, sealing a 4-3 aggregate win. Petar Ratkov, last season's top scorer, remains their sharpest threat up front. The two clubs have never met before. Our prediction: 1-2