Sturm Graz ahead of a lap of honor

The fact that the balance of power would be so clearly distributed was not necessarily expected at Sturm Graz. Nevertheless, the Graz team will try to say goodbye to the Champions League stage in a dignified manner. PSV Eindhoven, on the other hand, can - if no more miracles happen - plan for the next round. The traditional Dutch club will also be the favorites in Tuesday's second leg . With Servette Geneva or the Glasgow Rangers, they already know the possible opponents in the playoff to the premier class.

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Sturm Graz form

With an extremely strong 2022/23 season, SK Sturm qualified as second in the championship for the preliminary round of the Champions League. It was clear from the start that the grapes would hang high there. The 1-4 in the first leg in Eindhoven was anything but what one had expected and hoped for from Christian Ilzer's team. The Grazer coach even spoke of a lesson. The omens for the second leg on Tuesday are not too positive because they recently had to give up in the championship. Last Saturday it was only enough for a 0-0 draw against Austria Klagenfurt. However, Sturm Graz were outnumbered for about two-thirds of the season.

In the Bundesliga they are still in second place after three matchdays, have not lost a game and have two wins and a draw. Positive: Coach Christian Ilzer can muster almost his entire staff on Tuesday. Only attacker Manprit Sarkaria is not available injured. However, there are definitely accurate alternatives available in the offensive line.

In Szymon Wlodarczyk, Sturm found a new “clipper” this summer. The Pole has scored twice in three championship games so far and has also had several successes in the cup. It's probably only a matter of time before Sturm's number 9 hits internationally. Added to this is the strength of the Grazers in standard situations, with Affengruber, Wüthrich and Gorenc-Stankovic they have players who can and will cause danger in the opposing sixteen.

Can PSV Eindhoven win the second leg as well?

The dress rehearsal for the second leg of the Champions League qualifier was absolutely successful for PSV from Eindhoven. At the start of the 2023/24 Eredivisie season, the team of ex-Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz won 2-0 and thus made a perfect start to the season. Especially on the offensive, they showed themselves to be extremely playful again, Noa Lang and Joker Yorbe Vertessen ensured the comfortable lead at the end of the season. Thus, the Dutch are also capable of scoring one or two goals in Graz, considering that they have scored 6 goals in two competitive games of the new season so far.The record in the direct duels also speaks a clear language. In 2021 they met Sturm Graz in the group stage of the Europa League and kept the upper hand 4-1 and 2-0.

Trainer Bosz could only worry about the personal situation in defense at the moment. With Armando Obispo, Mauro Junior and Fredrik Oppegard, three alternatives in the back four are missing, but we still think the guests are well positioned to survive in the second leg. The speed of the home side's attackers could pose slight problems for the Dutch, as central defenders Ramalho and Boscagli are considered to be at a disadvantage in terms of speed in an international comparison. In all other parts of the team, however, we see clear advantages compared to Sturm Graz.

In the home game against FC Ultrecht, Eindhoven caused a lot of danger, especially from midfield, and was always dangerous, especially with long-range shots. Likewise, Sturm Graz will increasingly be able to prepare for attacks via Eindhoven's right flank. More than 40 percent of all attacks against Ultrecht came from this site . Enormous strengths in position and combination play were also evident in the first leg.

Sturm Graz - PSV Eindhoven: What to expect? 

The direct duels between the two opponents took place before this clash in the Europa League group stage. PSV Eindhoven kept a clean sheet and prevailed 2-0 and 4-1 respectively.

It still seems as a David versus Goliath duel. We also see Eindhoven as a favorite in the second leg and despite home advantage for Sturm Graz, so we would recommend a bet on an away win for the Bosz-Elf. But the option of scoring a goal for both teams seems just as profitable for us.

• PSV Eindhoven to win 
• Both teams to score

* All odds and markets are correct at the time of publication and subject to change.