Salzburg coach Adi Hutter has warned his players that Celtic are tougher than Malmo.
The Swedish side sent Salzburg tumbling out of the Champions League with their domestic form collapsing on the back of a 3-0 defeat away to the Swedes.
Salzburg went to Malmo on the back of six successive defeats but face Celtic with questions being asked about Hutter as he attempts to avoid four defeats on the bounce.
“We have to expect a team that plays in the typical Scottish style but one that can also play good football,” the Salzburg coach said. “They have strong competitive players and are better than Malmo.
“If we can win against Celtic I’m convinced that we can turn things round and go on a good winning run.”
After a traumatic time in the Champions League Ronny Deila is hoping that the secondary European tournament can provide his side with a chance to develop.
“Some people may dismiss this tournament but not me,” the Celtic boss said. “There are good matches and good teams.
“That’s why we want players to be in their national team as well, to get extra experience and to use that with their club in Europe. The main one is the Champions League and the next is the Europa League. It’s fantastic.
“There are good opponents in the Europa League. You can see that when the Spanish clubs are doing well in both the Europa League and Champions League and winning both, like Atletico and Sevilla.
“We played Atletico Madrid with Stromsgodset in 2011 and they won the Europa League that season and now you see where they are.
“But you need to get that experience and play those games and I think the level of the Europa League is very high. The main thing is the experience. We need to use it to be really ready for next year.”