Europa League qualifying clash
Red Bull Salzburg is set to welcome Pafos FC to the Red Bull Arena for the first leg of their Europa League third-round qualifying tie. The match is scheduled for Thursday, August 6th. The winner of this tie will advance to face the loser of the Champions League qualifying match between Mjallby and Slovan Bratislava. The team that loses this encounter will move into the Conference League playoff round.
Salzburg, an Austrian side, is accustomed to competing in Champions League qualifying. However, a third-placed finish in the Austrian Bundesliga last season led them to the preliminary stages of the Europa League. They have recent experience in the Europa League, having participated in last season’s league phase after a loss to Club Brugge in the second round of Champions League qualifying.
Danny Rohl is at the helm for Salzburg’s latest European campaign, having signed a three-year contract after leaving his position as Rangers boss. Rohl’s tenure began with a dominant 7-1 victory over third-tier SV Oberwart in the first round of the OFB Cup. This was followed by a 1-0 win on the opening weekend of the Austrian Bundesliga season against Hartberg, where Karim Konate scored an 89th-minute winner.
Pafos’ European journey and team news
Pafos, a Cypriot team, is participating in European football for the third consecutive season. They featured in the Conference League main draw in the 2024-25 season and the Champions League league phase in the 2025-26 season. Despite finishing fourth in the Cypriot First Division last term, they secured their spot in Europa League qualifying by winning the Cypriot Cup for the second time in three seasons.
Unlike Salzburg, Pafos began their qualifying process in the second round. They mounted a comeback against Croatian side Hajduk Split, overturning a two-goal first-leg deficit. In the home leg, Guga scored in the 40th minute, and David Goldar netted a stoppage-time equaliser, pushing the tie into extra time. Under the management of Ricardo Sa Pinto, Pafos secured a 4-2 aggregate victory with goals from Biel and Joao Correia.
When looking at previous encounters, Red Bull Salzburg has a positive record against Cypriot opposition, having won both of their prior matches. These include a 4-1 victory in 2010-11 Champions League qualifying and a 1-0 success against the same team in 2011-12 Europa League qualifying.
For Red Bull Salzburg, John Mellberg and Stefan Lainer have been included in the squad list for the playoff round despite recent injury concerns. However, Adam Daghim is no longer with the team, having moved to German side Hoffenheim. Rohl is expected to make minimal changes to the lineup after the recent win against Hartberg, with Konate potentially pushing for a starting position.
On the Pafos side, goalkeeper Charalambos Kyriakidis is expected to be unavailable due to an arm injury. Winger Jaja is also facing an extended period on the sidelines after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the second leg against Hajduk Split. While Pafos has strengthened their attacking options with Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu, he will not be eligible to play in this tie.
Match statistics and officials
Match statistics from a previous encounter between Red Bull Salzburg and Pafos show Red Bull Salzburg with 61.3% overall possession compared to Pafos’ 38.7%. Salzburg also had more shots, with 10 compared to Pafos’ 5. Both teams registered 1 shot on target. Salzburg had 26 total touches inside the opposition box, while Pafos had 6.
In terms of distribution, Red Bull Salzburg completed 346 total passes with an 83.2% pass accuracy, whereas Pafos completed 222 passes with a 78.8% accuracy. Salzburg also had 11 corners, while Pafos had none. The match officials for the upcoming game include Damian Sylwestrzak as the referee, with Piotr Lasyk as the Video Assistant Referee.
Source: bbc.com
