Planning to attend Salzburg - Mjällby AIF in Europa League qualifying? The football second leg takes place on 27 August 2026 at Red Bull Arena in Salzburg. Prepare your trip, check the latest match information and plan your ticket purchase for a night that decides who reaches the league phase
Salzburg - Mjällby AIF: the return leg that decides a place in the league phase
Salzburg and Mjällby AIF meet at the Red Bull Arena in the return leg of the final round of Europa League qualifying. The match is scheduled for Thursday, 27 August, and the home club lists kick-off at 19:00 local time in Salzburg. The first match is played a week earlier in Sweden, so the actual starting position for the return leg will depend on the result from Strandvallen.
The stakes are clear: the winner of the tie advances to the league phase of the Europa League, while both teams have already secured autumn participation in one European league phase. For Mjällby AIF, this is a continuation of its first international experience following its historic Swedish championship title.
It is worth securing tickets in good time.
Salzburg enter the new season unbeaten
Danny Röhl's team had not lost a competitive match in the 2026/27 season before the first meeting with Mjällby. In the Austrian league, Salzburg had two wins and one draw after three rounds, with a goal difference of 5:1, which kept them in third place in the table. Their performance against WSG Tirol was particularly convincing, with Salzburg winning 3:0.
The results immediately before the tie with Mjällby show a team capable of winning in different ways:
- WSG Tirol - Salzburg 0:3
- Pafos FC - Salzburg 3:3
- RZ Pellets WAC - Salzburg 1:1
- Salzburg - Pafos FC 1:0
- Salzburg - TSV Hartberg 1:0
Haris Tabakovic attracts the most attention in attack. Against Pafos, he scored the only goal in the first match and then scored all three of Salzburg's goals in the 3:3 draw in the return leg. In doing so, he practically carried the closing stages of that tie on his own: after falling 0:2 behind in the second match, Salzburg came back to lead 3:2 before the home side equalised late on.
Salzburg, however, are not dependent on just one striker. Karim Konate opened the scoring against WSG Tirol, while Sota Kitano scored the third goal. Röhl therefore has several different profiles available for the front line.
Röhl demands intensity, width and a quick reaction after losing the ball
Danny Röhl took charge of Salzburg in June 2026 and immediately highlighted intense, attacking football as the foundation of his approach. In the first competitive matches, a team can be seen that wants to reach the final third quickly, use width and keep enough players close to the ball so that, after losing possession, it can immediately press the opponent.
Against a deep-lying opponent, Salzburg can have problems if the match turns into prolonged circulation around the penalty area. Pafos defended deep for a long time in the first meeting, and the decisive goal did not arrive until the closing stages. Against Mjällby, the speed of circulation and the quality of the first touch between the lines will therefore be important.
Tabakovic provides depth and presence in the penalty area, Kitano can attack the space between the lines, and Konate offers explosiveness when the defence leaves an extra metre of space behind it. If Mjällby close the centre and force Salzburg towards the flanks, the quality of cut-backs and runs from midfielders arriving from deeper positions could be more important than the sheer number of crosses.
Mjällby AIF arrive as champions who have already proved that they do not give up
Mjällby AIF won the Swedish championship in 2025 and thereby qualified for European competition for the first time, and in May 2026 they also won the national cup. In the domestic league this season, they have not repeated last year's dominance and were in the lower half of the table in mid-August, but the final league match before the tie with Salzburg provided a strong reminder of the team's character.
Against league leaders Sirius, Mjällby were losing 0:3 before turning the match around and winning 4:3. Such a match is important when assessing this opponent because it shows two things at once: Mjällby can allow the opposition too many chances, but at the same time they have the energy, physical strength and mentality to recover from a very poor position.
Their European journey has also been full of different experiences. Mjällby defeated Lincoln Red Imps 3:0 on aggregate, then lost the next-round tie against Slovan Bratislava 1:4 on aggregate. That defeat moved them into Europa League qualifying and set up the tie with Salzburg.
Jacob Bergström as the focal point of the attack
One of the most recognisable names in Mjällby's attack is Jacob Bergström. Before the match against Sirius, he had five league goals in 15 appearances. His value is not only in finishing: Mjällby can use him as a target for more direct play, winning the first ball and creating space for players arriving from deeper positions.
Mjällby can accelerate the attack immediately after winning the ball. Salzburg therefore must not leave large gaps between the centre-backs and the midfield line, especially when pushing the full-backs forward.
Karl Marius Aksum became head coach at the beginning of 2026 after previously working as an assistant in the staff that won the championship. Continuity is important: Mjällby have not completely changed their identity after winning the title. The team still wants to be compact, physically aggressive and highly disciplined in duels, and ahead of the first meeting Röhl particularly highlighted the robustness of the Swedish champions.
Where the tie could be decided
The return leg could have a completely different rhythm depending on the result of the first match. If Salzburg gain an advantage in Sweden, the home side will not have to attack without control. If Mjällby arrive in Austria with a positive result, the expected picture is Salzburg having more of the ball and the visitors looking for a moment to strike through a quick transition, set piece or second ball.
Three tactical points are particularly important:
- Second ball: Mjällby can bypass the first line of pressure and look for a physical duel up front. Salzburg's midfielders therefore need to close the space around the location of the first duel quickly.
- Space behind the flanks: Salzburg want width and high positions from their wide defenders. Losing the ball in that phase can open a corridor for a Swedish transition.
- Patience in the final third: if Mjällby defend deep, Salzburg must not turn possession into a series of predictable crosses. The movement of Kitano and the midfielders between the lines could be the key to creating a clearer chance.
- Set pieces: the physically strong visiting team can seek value from corners and free kicks, so controlling contact and the first loose ball will be just as important as the initial marking of players.
The psychological element is also important. Salzburg have already won matches with late goals this season and recovered after falling behind, while Mjällby came back from 0:3 against Sirius. An open scoreline late in the match therefore suits teams that already have fresh experience of major comebacks.
Salzburg's squad situation before the tie
For the first meeting in Sweden, Salzburg announced several absentees. Since the return leg is played seven days later, that list should not automatically be considered final for the match at the Red Bull Arena, but it provides a good picture of the strain on the squad.
Ahead of the first match, the following players were not ready:
- Enrique Aguilar - forearm injury
- Soumaila Diabate - thigh injury
- Gaoussou Diakite - thigh injury
- Johannes Moser - adductor problems
- Frans Krätzig - thigh injury and expected longer absence
Leandro Morgalla was a doubt after taking a knock to the knee against WSG Tirol. The status of those players for the return leg may change, so it is reasonable to expect Röhl to manage minutes carefully between the two European matches, particularly in defence and midfield.
Red Bull Arena: a big stage for the decisive match
The Red Bull Arena in Wals-Siezenheim opened in 2003 and was expanded ahead of the major international tournament in 2008. The stadium has 30,188 seats, while its capacity for European matches is listed as 29,520. For matches of this profile, the full available capacity can be opened, giving the return leg a considerably different atmosphere from the small Strandvallen where the first match is played.
The north stand is home to Salzburg's organised supporter scene and is the loudest part of the stadium. If the tie remains level, pressure from the stands may increase with every important duel and set piece.
Seats in the stands are disappearing quickly.
The stadium operates cashlessly, so cards and other supported forms of contactless payment are used at sales points inside the arena. Smoking is prohibited throughout the stadium, except in designated outdoor zones. The western side of the arena has an area where supporters can gather before the match, which helps spread out arrivals and reduce pressure on the entrances immediately before kick-off.
How to get to the stadium
The Red Bull Arena is located west of Salzburg city centre, near the Kleßheim area and the Europark shopping complex. For visitors arriving from the city centre or the main railway station, public transport is a practical choice because the stadium can be connected to rail and city bus routes via the Salzburg Taxham Europark area.
Practical travel options:
- S-Bahn: Salzburg Taxham Europark station is located in the area from which the journey continues towards the stadium.
- City bus: the 2026 network includes line 28 via the Kleßheim/Red Bull Arena stop and the Europark area.
- Car: the stadium complex lists 2,070 parking spaces, but for a high-interest match it is worth expecting heavier traffic and arriving earlier.
- Bicycle: the stadium has bicycle parking areas on the southern, western and northern sides.
For this specific match, the available information has not yet provided a special opening time for the entrances. At the previous home league match early in the season, the stadium opened 90 minutes before kick-off, but the organisation of a European match may be different. Visitors are therefore advised to plan an earlier arrival, especially if they want to avoid crowds at security checks and at the entrances to the stands.
Salzburg as the host city
Salzburg is a compact city, so the football part of the trip can easily be combined with a stay in the historic centre, while the stadium is located outside the innermost city centre to the west. For travellers arriving by train, the easiest option is to organise movement via the main railway station and the city network, without the need to drive through the central streets.
On matchday, it is worth planning to head towards Wals-Siezenheim before the largest wave of supporters. Europark and Taxham are important transport hubs in the stadium area.
For visiting Mjällby supporters, this is a different environment from Strandvallen. In Salzburg, they will encounter an arena with almost 30,000 places for European fixtures, so the sound and pressure from the stands will be noticeably different.
Ticket sales for this match are under way.
What to watch immediately before kick-off
The most important information will, of course, be the result of the first match in Sweden. It will determine how much risk Salzburg have to take from the first minute and how deeply Mjällby can defend. The second important detail will be Salzburg's medical bulletin, particularly in defence and midfield, where several players were unavailable or doubtful before the first meeting.
The third element is the choice of striker. Tabakovic enters this period with four goals in the tie against Pafos and is the natural candidate for the central role, but Konate's speed offers a different profile if Salzburg want to attack the space behind the defensive line. In midfield and the space behind the striker, Kitano can be the player who links possession with concrete runs into the penalty area.
For Mjällby, it will be worth watching whether Aksum opts for more aggressive pressing from the start or drops the block closer to his own penalty area. The Swedish team have enough evidence to show that they can be dangerous when the match becomes physical and chaotic. Salzburg will therefore try to keep the rhythm under their own control, but without sterile possession that would leave the visitors enough time to organise themselves.
Sources:
- FC Red Bull Salzburg - return-leg schedule, current form, reports from the matches against Pafos and WSG Tirol, squad status and Red Bull Arena information
- Bundesliga.at - Austrian league table for 2026/27 after three rounds
- Allsvenskan - Swedish league table and Mjällby AIF player statistics
- Mjällby AIF - coaching change for 2026 and the team's context after winning the Swedish championship
- Salzburg AG and Salzburger Verkehrsverbund - public transport network for 2026 and access to the Kleßheim/Red Bull Arena area