Reasoning: for Scottish side Hearts, this is essentially their last opportunity to save everything they achieved last year, when they managed to keep the biggest gun, Celtic, at bay. They got off to a very poor start to the season, but by now, the kind of momentum they are actually capable of producing seems to be starting to emerge. They will probably have chances to score again this time, as Claudio Braga (forward – 38/14) and Pierre Kabore (forward – 25/5) have stayed, while one of the best midfielders in the league, Calvin Miller, has arrived, along with one of Scotland’s biggest prospects: James Wilson, who made his debut for the Scottish senior national team at just 18 years and 17 days old, becoming the youngest international player in Scotland’s history. He had already made his Hearts first-team debut at the age of 16, and at 17 he became the youngest goalscorer in Conference League history, so he is genuinely regarded as a major talent. Several top English clubs have been monitoring him, and although he is not yet a finished product, he is regarded as one of the most promising young attacking players in Scottish football.

However, it is important to note that the team is really struggling defensively. They conceded 6(!) goals in just two matches against Sturm Graz, one of Rapid’s rivals. On top of that, Craig Halkett (defender – 30/4) and Stephen Kingsley (defender – 21/2) are still unavailable, despite both playing important roles in Hearts achieving such a strong result last year. Rapid are certainly no weaker than Sturm Graz, and in fact, they have really pulled themselves together for the start of this season. Comfortable wins, comfortable progressions, and most recently, they won their league match by scoring 8(!) goals. The team is very well put together, and the signing of Tonni Adamsen could provide an enormous boost to the already strong attacking and creative players. I expect a good match here.

Reasoning: the Swedes have already achieved their minimum objective by securing qualification for European football, which will provide the club with valuable financial opportunities. As a result, I expect them to approach today’s match as a relaxed and confident side. Their confidence should have received another major boost after they scored four(!) goals against league leaders Sirius just a few days ago and won the match – especially considering that they had also put four(!) past the same opponent only a few weeks earlier. This means that Sirius, who are comfortably leading the Swedish league and have conceded just 23(!) goals in total, have already conceded roughly 24% of those goals against Mjallby alone.

They also played boldly and dominantly against Slovan Bratislava for around 70 minutes, which is another indication that this team is not intimidated by the level of opposition. However, what stands out even more is Salzburg’s situation. After some weaker numbers and performances in recent years, they have finally strengthened their squad properly while also managing to retain key players. They now have serious experience and quality in attack, with Vertessen, who has considerable Bundesliga experience, joined by the likes of Haris Tabakovic, who scored 13 goals in 32 appearances for Borussia Mönchengladbach last season.

There is certainly a significant gap in quality between the two teams, but even at this early stage of the season, Salzburg have already shown in a relatively low-stakes match that they can be vulnerable. Although Tirol failed to score, Salzburg allowed them six(!) big chances and conceded a 2.81 xG (~expected goals) figure, which is simply far too high. The same applies to the fact that Pafos managed to score three(!) goals against them away from home.

I expect Salzburg to dominate the game, while Mjallby should be a highly motivated and combative side who can turn their home advantage into goals.