Compared to its high-profile, opulent cousin, the Europa League is a contest which provides hope - albeit often fleeting - for some of the continent's smaller outfits.

Over the past decade, domestic bridesmaids like Braga and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk have contested the final, while clubs like Viktoria Plzen, Ludogorets, and Anzhi Makhachkala have progressed to the knockout stages.

Compared to the aforementioned European minnows, Swedish top-flight newcomer Ostersunds FK is football's plankton, languishing perilously at the mercy of both the tides of continental football and the mammoth beasts which patrol its waters.

In contrast, even amid a relatively nightmarish campaign, Arsenal is one of Europe's biggest clubs. On Thursday, though, the Gunners wade into unfamiliar seas to face a club on the other end of football's spectrum.

Who is Ostersund?

Located in Jamtland, a central Swedish region, Ostersund was formed as a merger of several clubs (Ope IF, IFK Ostersund, and Ostersund/Torvallain) in 1996. Primarily a third-tier side, Ostersund joined the top-flight Allsvenskan in 2015 and finished eighth last season with 42 points in 30 matches, gaining a spot in the Europa League second qualifying round by virtue of winning the 2016-17 Svenska Cupen over IFK Norrkoping.

The beneficiary of a meteoric rise that coincided with Graham Potter's arrival at the club seven years ago, Ostersund has enjoyed three promotions under its West Midlands-born and university-trained gaffer. The team's emergence has grown football in a part of Sweden where it plays second fiddle to Nordic sports.

Resident of the 9,100-capacity Jamtkraft Arena, Ostersund has exercised unconventional means to recruit players. Several English and British-based Ghanaians have been lured to the club, including current Philadelphia Union standout David Accam, who was spotted by Potter at the Nike Football Academy. Former Swansea City winger and Reading goal-scorer Modou Barrow also spent a season with the club in the second tier.

How did Ostersund get here?

A club younger than Arsenal's Alex Iwobi from a city with a population that would comfortably fit in the Emirates Stadium, Ostersund's historic run through the Europa League has come at the expense of clubs spanning the professional footballing spectrum.

First, it was 1999-2000 UEFA Cup winner and record 20-time Turkish champ Galatasaray who suffered at the hands of the Swedish underdog, losing 3-1 on aggregate after Iraq international Brwa Nouri scored a massive away goal at the Turk Telecom Stadium to cement the result. Then, Luxembourgian outfit Fola Esch were bounced by the same aggregate score in the third qualifying round, before Ostersund booked a spot in the tournament proper by topping Thessaloniki side PAOK on away goals, with Nouri again tallying the decider on the road.

The group stage beckoned, and Ostersund was again facing an uphill climb in a foot of snow alongside Athletic Bilbao, Zorya Luhansk, and Hertha Berlin. After notching victories in its opening two matches over the Ukrainian and German sides, a pipe dream neared reality, and with a scant lone defeat at Athletic's San Mames, Ostersund secured a berth in the last-32 by virtue of finishing runner-up in the quartet behind the Basque lot.

Does Ostersund stand a chance?

Considering Arsenal's penchant for disastrous results, anything can happen Thursday on a synthetic pitch.

When asked to compare the last-32 Europa League tie with the FA Cup, Potter told the BBC: "In some ways, I know where you are coming from in terms of the small team against the big team, absolutely.

"Normally, in the third round of the FA Cup, you have not beaten Galatasaray or PAOK or Hertha Berlin. But in terms of the size of the two teams, absolutely," Potter added. If this season's FA Cup festivities are a point of reference for Thursday's fixture, then Potter and Co. have plenty of reason for hope after holder Arsenal suffered a shock exit at Nottingham Forest.

Two clubs separated by millions in revenue and a gulf in quality and pedigree are set to face off on a pitch of lower quality than Arsenal's luxury Colney training facility, but that's just another factor that may enable the shock of the continental calendar.