Southampton forward Shane Long has urged his teammates to "make the most" of being in the Europa League ahead of Thursday's playoff tie against FC Midtjylland.

The Premier League outfit head into the match against the Danish champions at St Mary's after losing 3-0 to Everton at the weekend.

While Long has admitted that juggling Europa and domestic commitments will be "challenging", the Irishman is confident that the team can handle it.

"I said it before, it would be a shame to do so well last season, put yourself in this sort of position and qualify for Europe and not make the most of it," the Daily Echo quotes Long as saying.

"It's a challenging competition - playing Thursdays and Sundays. It's challenging for your league [form], but we've got a lot of players in now."

The overall winner of the two playoff legs will progress into the group phase.