Salzburg v Crvena zvezda background

Salzburg are within sight of a long-awaited place in the UEFA Champions League group stage as they welcome Crvena zvezda to Austria for the concluding part of their play-off tie.

• After a goalless first leg in Belgrade, Salzburg – who are on a long unbeaten home European run – know victory would seal their place in the group stage for the first time in 24 years.

• European champions in 1991, Crvena zvezda have never reached the group stage of the UEFA Champions League and survived into the spring of a UEFA competition for the first time since 1991/92 last season, reaching the UEFA Europa League round of 32 – a competition in which Salzburg went all the way to the semi-finals.

Previous meetings
• The teams' tie in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup second round is also each side's only previous experience against a club from the opposing country. Crvena zvezda had the better of that contest, going through on away goals after a 2-1 away loss was followed by a 1-0 victory in Belgrade.

Form guide
Salzburg
• The Austrian club won a fifth successive Bundesliga title in 2017/18 – their 12th overall.

• Salzburg have lost only two of their last 26 European games (W15 D9). They have also won their last three home matches, and are unbeaten in 12 in Europe at home (W9 D3).

• Salzburg's sole previous UEFA Champions League group stage appearance came in 1994/95, their European Cup debut. They entered this season's UEFA Champions League in the third qualifying round, where they defeated Shkëndija of FYR Macedonia 4-0 on aggregate (3-0 home, 1-0 away).

• Salzburg have lost in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds in each of the last six seasons – and have made 12 unsuccessful attempts to reach the group stage since their debut 24 years ago.

• In 2017/18, they were eliminated on away goals by Croatia's Rijeka in the third qualifying round. However, that led to a memorable UEFA Europa League campaign, with Real Sociedad, Borussia Dortmund and Lazio all overcome en route to a semi-final loss against Marseille after extra time.

• Salzburg's record in UEFA Champions League play-offs is W0 L4. At the same stage of the UEFA Europa League, it is W3 L1, their solitary defeat coming on penalties against Dinamo Minsk in 2015/16.

• Salzburg's record in UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L1:
5-4 v Eintracht Frankfurt, 1993/94 UEFA Cup quarter-final
2-3 v Dinamo Minsk, 2015/16 UEFA Europa League play-off

Crvena zvezda
• Champions of Serbia in 2017/18, Crvena zvezda kicked off this season in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, where they got the better of Latvia's Spartaks Jūrmala 2-0 on aggregate. Lithuania's Sūduva were beaten 5-0 over two legs in the second qualifying round, before extra time secured a 2-1 away win at Slovakia's Spartak Trnava in the third qualifying round second leg to complete a 3-2 aggregate victory.

• Crvena zvezda have lost only two of their last 16 European games (W7 D7).

• The Belgrade club have won their last two European away games, and have lost only one of their last seven (W3 D3) – 1-0 at CSKA Moskva in last season's round of 32 second leg to lose by the same aggregate scoreline. They conceded only two goals in that run.

• This is Crvena zvzeda's first UEFA Champions League play-off; their record at this stage of the UEFA Europa League is W1 L4, the sole success coming on away goals against Russian side Krasnodar in 2017/18.

• Crvena zvezda have played in six previous UEFA Champions League qualifying campaigns.

• Crvena zvezda's record in UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W4 L1:
6-5 v Real Madrid, 1974/75 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final
2-4 v AC Milan, 1988/89 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round
5-3 v Marseille, 1990/91 European Champion Clubs' Cup final
4-3 v Metz, 1998/99 UEFA Cup first round
6-5 v Omonia, 2012/13 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round

Links and trivia
• Marin Pongračić of Salzburg and Crvena zvezda defender Filip Stojković were team-mates at 1860 München in 2016/17.