Southampton FC bid for Europa League qualification

Southampton are looking to take the upper hand in their Europa League play-off round tie against FC Midtjylland on Thursday at St Mary's.

Southampton are looking to take the upper hand in their Europa League play-off round tie against FC Midtjylland on Thursday at St Mary's.
The Saints, playing in European competition for the first time in 12 years, host the Danish champions in the first leg before travelling to Denmark next week for the return fixture.
"It's important that we try to score goals at home on Thursday and keep the zero to take into the second leg," Southampton defender Cuco Martina said on saintsfc.co.uk. "We want to experience more things in Europe, so we need to win this battle to make sure we are in the group stages."
Ronald Koeman's side can join English clubs Liverpool and Tottenham in the group stages of the competition if they get past the Danes.
Also on Thursday, Athletic Bilbao, who stunned Barcelona 5-1 on aggregate to lift the Spanish Super Cup on Monday , travel to Slovakia to face Zilina.
Borussia Dortmund have yet to lose on Norweggian soil and are away to FC Odd.
Four-time European champions Ajax will attempt to hit back from their elimination in the third qualifying round stage of the Champions League at the hands of Rapid Vienna when they take on Jablonec of the Czech Republic in Amsterdam.
Rabotnicki are at home to Rubin Kazan and will become the first team from FYR Macedonia to reach the group stage of a European competition if they beat the Russian outfit over two legs.
Dutch side AZ Alkmaar face Romanian opposition for the first time when they play at Astra Giurgiu.
Kazakh outfit Kairat Almaty will square off against Bordeaux in France.
It is Turkey versus Greece when Fenerbahce play at Atromitos Athinon while Panathinaikos host Azerbaijan side FC Qabala.
Belenenses are in Austria to face Altach.
In other games, Steaua Bucharest host Rosenborg, Ukraine's Zarya Luhansk face visiting Legia Warsaw, Vojvodina Novi Sad travel to Viktoria Plzen and St Etiene go to Modolva to face Milsami Orhei.
Swiss side Young Boys are at home to Qarabag (Azerbaijan), Norwegian outfit Molde host Standard Liege (Belgium), PAOK Salonika take on Danish side Brondby, Lech Poznan (Poland) hosts Hungarians Videoton, Salzburg travel to Belarus to face Dinamo Minsk and the Czech Republic's Liberec meet Hajduk Split.
FK Krasnodar (Russia) are at home against HJK Helsinki (Finland) and Sparta Prague (Czech) visit FC Thun (Switzerland).
The return legs will be played on August 27.