Duell der Sieglosen
Last year’s third-placed Austrian side Sturm Graz welcome Dutch representatives PSV Eindhoven, led by World Cup winner Mario Götze. After the opening defeat, the Grazers are already in debt and are obliged to score at home in view of this strong group. No easy task against the favoured Eindhoven, who are also desperate to score.
The visitors from Eindhoven, on the other hand, had to settle for a draw at home in the opening game of this year’s Europa League season despite their superiority. Both the Austrians and the Dutch are set to win. A groundbreaking match awaits both teams.
When it comes to Sturm Graz vs. PSV Eindhoven, the predictions clearly go in the direction of PSV. Roger Schmidt’s men, who are extended favourites, are desperate to win in order to at least reach the last 16, where they failed last season to Olympiakos Piraeus.
Austria Sturm Graz – Statistics & current form
Austria Sturm Graz are the underdogs against PSV Eindhoven. Nevertheless, the Austrians should not be underestimated. Given their strong start to the season with six wins, two draws and a defeat against serial champions RB Salzburg, a lot can be expected of Christian Ilzer’s team, who has been on the sidelines since last season.
Sturm Graz new number 2 in Austria?
Sturm Graz are currently second in the domestic league behind RB Salzburg and are already eight points ahead of the third-placed team. Graz seem to be turning into the second power in Austria. Since Ilzer took over last summer, the Blackies have been on a steep uphill climb. They now want to carry this momentum beyond the domestic league into the European competition. After a narrow defeat at the start of the season, a win at home is a must. They have only lost one game at home in the Merkur Arena so far this season. The bookmakers are predicting a high-scoring game for Sturm Graz vs. PSV Eindhoven based on the betting odds.
Best offence in the league
In Austria, the Black and Whites lead the table in goals scored with 24 goals from nine games So far, they have even scored one more goal than Salzburg. Special attention should be paid to the double top consisting of young star Kelvin Yeboah and veteran Jakob Jantscher. Together they scored eleven goals and were responsible for almost half of all goals.
The upcoming match against the Dutch top club from Eindhoven could be similar to the last season’s match at Rapid Wien, when they won the match 3:0 away from home thanks to an outstanding goalkeeping performance and an extremely efficient use of chances. They rather let the opponent have the ball and counterattacked dangerously again and again. PSV Eindhoven will also seize the ball and keep running. If Sturm Graz manage to play out their attacks quickly and purposefully and also create dangerous standard situations, they could be cheering in black and white again on Thursday.
In view of the big lead on third place in the Austrian league coach Christian Ilzer does not have to spare anyone for the league in the match against PSV and can start with a full squad
Predicted line-up of Sturm Graz:
Siebenhandl – Dante, Wüthrich, Affengruber, Jäger – Kiteishvili, Gorenc-Stankovic, Hierländer, Sarkaria – Jantscher, Yeboah
Last matches played by Sturm Graz:
Netherlands PSV Eindhoven – Statistics & current form
PSV Eindhoven travel to Austria with mixed feelings. In their luggage the Dutch have a record with extremely fluctuating performances lately. After four matchdays, Roger Schmidt’s team was at the top of the table, having won all of their games in a row. Only the Champions League qualifying match against Benfica Lisbon was a failure.
After that, however, defeats crept in with increasing frequency. After seven matchdays, the team now has five wins and two draws. The negative highlight was undoubtedly the 4-0 defeat in front of the home crowd against Feyenoord Rotterdam on matchday five
Without much confidence to Graz
The Schmidt charges are under pressure given their recent 2-1 defeat away at Willem II last weekend, which saw them drop from second to fourth in the table. With a win at Graz, the mood barometer in Eindhoven could be raised significantly The predictions for Sturm Graz vs. PSV Eindhoven are all pointing towards an away win
Offensive as showpiece, defence as problem
With 17 goals from seven league games, PSV boasts one of the best offensive lines in the league. However, a look at the domestic table quickly reveals where the shoe pinches. The team has already conceded ten goals in these seven games and thus has the worst defensive record among the top five teams in the Eridivisie They had the same problem in the Europa League opener when they repeatedly allowed Real Sociedad to attack dangerously. At the moment, games tend to be won by scoring more goals than conceding them. The last time they kept a clean sheet at the back and goalkeeper Drommel kept his clean sheet was four games ago.
Compared to the defeat against Willem II, the line-up could change. It is expected that the fast Bruma will move into the team via the flanks and replace ex-Bielefeld player Ritsu Doan. Whether other changes will be made, such as Teze for Mwene, remains to be seen. Roger Schmidt’s line-up, on the other hand, will be clear. A win at the supposedly weakest team in the group is mandatory
Predicted line-up of PSV Eindhoven:
Drommel – Max, Boscagli, Ramalho, Mwene – Sangare, van Ginkel – Gakpo, Götze, Bruma – Zahavi
Last matches played by PSV Eindhoven:
Sturm Graz – PSV Eindhoven Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
The three-time champions from Austria host the 24-time champions from the Netherlands for the very first time in the club’s history. It is clear that both teams need points to keep the goal of the knockout round alive In the case of Sturm Graz vs. PSV Eindhoven, all forecasts point in the direction of the Dutch, despite fluctuating performances recently. The experience at international level could be the decisive factor. PSV have played 149 games in the Europa League and another 163 in the top flight. The Graz side, on the other hand, have made just 50 appearances in the Europa League and only 24 in the Champions League.
Austria Sturm Graz – PSV Eindhoven Netherlands Tip
For the second matchday, two teams still waiting for their first win in this year’s Europa League meet. According to the bookmakers, Sturm Graz vs. PSV Eindhoven are the clear favourites to win according to the odds. In view of the last games, this is a little surprising, as Eindhoven’s performance has been rather erratic lately, while Sturm Graz are in very good form and have won all of their last three games.
Nevertheless, the Red and Whites have both more experience and the better individual players in the squad. Because of this, the Dutch are rightly favourites. Nevertheless, the Austrians are not to be underestimated. Especially with their own fans behind them, the team from Graz could pull off a surprise.
Both teams impress with their offensive lines and are always looking for the way forward Accordingly, we see a bet on a high-scoring game at fair odds for Sturm Graz vs PSV Eindhoven as quite possible. With odds of around 1.60 on a match in which both teams meet, there is definitely attractive value to be had. We bet 7 units on it. In addition, a match with over 2.5 goals could be envisaged.
