Pafos
Pafos and Salzburg will meet 13 August 2026 at 13:00 EDT / 10:00 PDT in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. The game will take place at the Alphamega Stadium in Limassol.
A week ago, Salzburg decided the outcome of the match right at the end. It will be much harder for the Austrians away from home, but the pattern of the game will change — Pafos have to open up from the first minutes.
Pafos made a poor start to the first leg against Salzburg. The Cypriots sat deep around their own goal and had only 0.03 xG at half-time, despite 37% possession. Red Bull kept the ball easily and dictated play, but did not turn it into a large winning margin. Röhl was fortunate with his substitutions: the Bulls' coach freshened things up with five changes midway through the second half, and Tabakovic made the most of them. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international and Salzburg newcomer scored the only goal in the 88th minute. Sema was sent off for Pafos after playing just over a half.
Under their new coach, Salzburg have abandoned the vertical 4-3-3 system built around pressing high up the pitch. Red Bull are now more versatile: a 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders provides control in midfield, while Vertessen is extremely reliable off the ball. The Belgian gives Röhl confidence in winning the ball back — the same plan will be used in the away second leg. With the Luckassen-Goldar centre-back partnership, Pafos are bound to concede dangerous counter-attacks. The Islanders must push forward, which will leave plenty of space, while their slow defenders will not be able to keep up with the opposition.
Ahead of the second leg, Pafos have lost two wingers at once — Quina through injury and Sema through suspension. Sá Pinto's staff have options on the bench, but it will affect the level of their attack. Salzburg are extremely versatile and will be closer to victory in Cyprus. The Bulls should progress to the next round.
João Pinheiro (Portugal)
Matches – 17 (international matches, 2025–2026);
Average fouls per match – 22;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) – 3.7;
Matches with red cards – 3 out of 17;
Matches with penalties – 5 out of 17.
|
Ricardo Sá Pinto
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Radosław Majecki
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
David Goldar Gómez
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
David Luiz Moreira Marinho
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nicholas Ioannou
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Gonçalo Rosa Gonçalves Pereira Rodrigues
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ivan Šunjić
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Pedro Filipe Figueiredo Rodrigues
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Vlad Mihai Dragomir
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Bruno Felipe Souza da Silva
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Gabriel Teixeira Aragão
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Leanderson da Silva Genésio
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Melinos Kais
|
0 | 0 | |
|
Michalis Papastylianou
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Petros Petrou
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Kosmas Ioannou
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Samy Mmaee Nwambeben
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alexandre Miguel Soares Carvalho Brito
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Christos Efzona
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Murad Məmmədov
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Anderson Oliveira Silva
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Georgios Michael
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nicolas Brice Moumi Ngamaleu
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Danny Röhl
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Christian Zawieschitzky
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Dominik Robin Schmid
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Kévin Winiga Boma
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nikolas Konrad Veratschnig
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Valentin Zabransky
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Abubakr Barry
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Bartosz Mazurek
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Damir Redzic
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Haris Tabaković
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Sota Kitano
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Yorbe Vertessen
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Christian Früchtl
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nikola Šarčević
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Frans Krätzig
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
John Olof Mellberg
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Leandro-Noel Morgalla
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tim Drexler
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Aboubacar Sidiki Camara
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Filip Matijašević
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Maurits Kjærgaard
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Edmund Baidoo
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Karim Konaté
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Red Bull Salzburg
Pafos
Pafos
Hajduk Split
Hajduk Split
Pafos
Pafos
Slavia Prague
Chelsea
Pafos
Juventus
Pafos
Pafos
Monaco
Pafos
Villarreal
Kairat
Pafos
Pafos
Bayern Munich
Red Bull Salzburg
Pafos
Aston Villa
Red Bull Salzburg
Red Bull Salzburg
FC Basel
Freiburg
Red Bull Salzburg
Bologna
Red Bull Salzburg
Red Bull Salzburg
Go Ahead Eagles
Red Bull Salzburg
Ferencvárosi
Lyon
Red Bull Salzburg
Red Bull Salzburg
Porto
Brugge
Red Bull Salzburg
Europa League 2026/27
Red Bull Salzburg
Pafos
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Benfica
|
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13:3 | 12 |
|
2
|
Bournemouth
|
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11:2 | 12 |
|
3
|
Ferencvárosi
|
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11:3 | 12 |
|
4
|
Saint-Gilloise
|
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10:2 | 10 |
|
5
|
Juventus
|
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11:4 | 10 |
|
6
|
Olympiacos Piraeus
|
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4:1 | 10 |
|
7
|
Bayer 04
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8:1 | 9 |
|
8
|
Beşiktaş JK
|
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11:8 | 7 |
|
9
|
Dinamo Zagreb
|
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5:4 | 7 |
|
10
|
Levski Sofia
|
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4:3 | 7 |
|
11
|
Sunderland
|
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4:4 | 7 |
|
12
|
NEC Nijmegen
|
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8:9 | 7 |
|
13
|
Lyon
|
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6:7 | 7 |
|
14
|
AZ Alkmaar
|
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7:4 | 6 |
|
15
|
Anderlecht
|
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6:3 | 6 |
|
16
|
OFI Crete
|
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5:4 | 6 |
|
17
|
Rennes
|
|
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4:3 | 6 |
|
18
|
Omonia
|
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6:7 | 6 |
|
19
|
União Torreense
|
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7:9 | 6 |
|
20
|
Real Sociedad
|
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9:4 | 5 |
|
21
|
Crystal Palace
|
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9:6 | 5 |
|
22
|
Sparta Prague
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6:6 | 4 |
|
23
|
Hoffenheim
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6:6 | 4 |
|
24
|
Sturm Graz
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3:6 | 4 |
|
25
|
NK Celje
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5:9 | 4 |
|
26
|
Red Bull Salzburg
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3:8 | 4 |
|
27
|
Celta
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:6 | 3 |
|
28
|
AC Milan
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:7 | 3 |
|
29
|
Jagiellonia
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:7 | 3 |
|
30
|
Viktoria Plzen
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3:7 | 3 |
|
31
|
Marseille
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2:6 | 3 |
|
32
|
Celtic
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6:11 | 3 |
|
33
|
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
|
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1:8 | 1 |
|
34
|
Lillestrom
|
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2:10 | 1 |
|
35
|
Lech
|
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2:12 | 1 |
|
36
|
Ararat-Armenia
|
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4:14 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Benfica
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7:2 | 6 |
|
2
|
Bournemouth
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:0 | 6 |
|
3
|
Ferencvárosi
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:2 | 6 |
|
4
|
Olympiacos Piraeus
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 6 |
|
5
|
Saint-Gilloise
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5:1 | 4 |
|
6
|
Juventus
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7:2 | 4 |
|
7
|
Beşiktaş JK
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6:3 | 4 |
|
8
|
NEC Nijmegen
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4:2 | 4 |
|
9
|
Rennes
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2:1 | 4 |
|
10
|
Crystal Palace
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5:1 | 4 |
|
11
|
Sturm Graz
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3:3 | 4 |
|
12
|
Bayer 04
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
13
|
Dinamo Zagreb
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:4 | 3 |
|
14
|
Levski Sofia
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1:1 | 3 |
|
15
|
Sunderland
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 3 |
|
16
|
Lyon
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
17
|
AZ Alkmaar
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:3 | 3 |
|
18
|
Anderlecht
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
19
|
OFI Crete
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:2 | 3 |
|
20
|
Omonia
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:4 | 3 |
|
21
|
União Torreense
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:4 | 3 |
|
22
|
Hoffenheim
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:3 | 3 |
|
23
|
Jagiellonia
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:4 | 3 |
|
24
|
Celtic
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5:7 | 3 |
|
25
|
Real Sociedad
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:3 | 1 |
|
26
|
Sparta Prague
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:4 | 1 |
|
27
|
NK Celje
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:5 | 1 |
|
28
|
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0:2 | 1 |
|
29
|
Lech
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1:5 | 1 |
|
30
|
Red Bull Salzburg
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:4 | 0 |
|
31
|
Celta
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2:4 | 0 |
|
32
|
AC Milan
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0:4 | 0 |
|
33
|
Viktoria Plzen
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:5 | 0 |
|
34
|
Marseille
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
35
|
Lillestrom
|
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1:9 | 0 |
|
36
|
Ararat-Armenia
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:8 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Benfica
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:1 | 6 |
|
2
|
Bournemouth
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5:2 | 6 |
|
3
|
Ferencvárosi
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5:1 | 6 |
|
4
|
Saint-Gilloise
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5:1 | 6 |
|
5
|
Juventus
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4:2 | 6 |
|
6
|
Bayer 04
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:0 | 6 |
|
7
|
Olympiacos Piraeus
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1:0 | 4 |
|
8
|
Dinamo Zagreb
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2:0 | 4 |
|
9
|
Levski Sofia
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:2 | 4 |
|
10
|
Sunderland
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:2 | 4 |
|
11
|
Lyon
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3:5 | 4 |
|
12
|
Real Sociedad
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7:1 | 4 |
|
13
|
Red Bull Salzburg
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3:4 | 4 |
|
14
|
Beşiktaş JK
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:5 | 3 |
|
15
|
NEC Nijmegen
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:7 | 3 |
|
16
|
AZ Alkmaar
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:1 | 3 |
|
17
|
Anderlecht
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
18
|
OFI Crete
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
19
|
Omonia
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:3 | 3 |
|
20
|
União Torreense
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:5 | 3 |
|
21
|
Sparta Prague
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:2 | 3 |
|
22
|
NK Celje
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:4 | 3 |
|
23
|
Celta
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:2 | 3 |
|
24
|
AC Milan
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:3 | 3 |
|
25
|
Viktoria Plzen
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:2 | 3 |
|
26
|
Marseille
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2:5 | 3 |
|
27
|
Rennes
|
|
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2:2 | 2 |
|
28
|
Crystal Palace
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4:5 | 1 |
|
29
|
Hoffenheim
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1:3 | 1 |
|
30
|
Lillestrom
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
31
|
Sturm Graz
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:3 | 0 |
|
32
|
Jagiellonia
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
33
|
Celtic
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:4 | 0 |
|
34
|
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
35
|
Lech
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:7 | 0 |
|
36
|
Ararat-Armenia
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3:6 | 0 |
