Sturm Graz vs Sporting Lisbon Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
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Unbeaten Sporting Lisbon visit a Sturm Graz side who are yet to get off the mark in the competition as the UEFA Champions League continues with Matchday 3.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Tuesday 22nd October, 2024: UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Paramount+
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / US – Paramount+
STURM GRAZ PREVIEW: TWO DEFEATS FROM TWO IN EUROPE
Sturm Graz were always going to find it tough in the Champions League, in what is their first participation in the main tournament since the 2001-02 season, but head coach Christian Ilzer would have hoped for some points on the board by now given that they faced Brest and Club Brugge in their first two league phase fixtures.
Both those encounters ended in defeat, but things are at least going better domestically as they are top of the Belgian league and have scored ten goals in their last two games.
SPORTING LISBON PREVIEW: UNBEATEN IN 11 IN ALL COMPETITIONS
Since losing in the Portuguese Super Cup to rivals Porto at the beginning of August, Sporting are unbeaten in all competitions, winning ten of their subsequent 11 games and drawing the other.
That one draw came at PSV on Matchday 2, while their Champions League opener was a 2-0 victory over French outfit Lille.
STURM GRAZ TEAM NEWS: STANKOVIC & WUTHRICH OUT
Jon Gorenc Stankovic and Gregory Wuthrich will definitely miss this one, while long-term absentee Alexandar Borkovic is not part of Sturm's Champions League squad.
Having deployed a three-at-the-back system in the local derby with Grazer AK on Saturday, Ilzer will be tempted to give that a go here, but it's more likely that he'll revert to the back four he opted for against Brest and Club Brugge.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Scherpen; Gazibegovic, Geyrhofer, Lavalee, Aiwu; Yalcouye, Kiteishvili, Chukwuani; Jatta, Biereth, Boving
UNAVAILABLE: Stankovic (Injured), Wuthrich (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
SPORTING LISBON TEAM NEWS: POTE AVAILABLE
Jeremy St. Juste returned to the bench on Saturday and will come into consideration here, while Goncalo Inacio, who had been struggling with a muscle complaint, got 90 minutes under his belt.
Eduardo Quaresma and Ousmane Diomande are out, as is Marcus Edwards, but Matheus Reis and Pedro Goncalves have returned to training and are available for selection.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-3): Israel; Esgaio, Debast, Inacio; Araujo, Hjulmand, Morita, Braganca; Catamo, Gyokeres, Goncalves
UNAVAILABLE: Quaresma (Injured), Diomande (Injured), Edwards (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
KEY STATS
• The only previous UEFA competition matches between Sturm Graz and Sporting CP were in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League group stage. Both matches were won by Sporting CP (2-1 in Austria and 3-0 in Portugal).
• Sturm Graz have won only three of their last 15 UEFA competition matches (D2 L10).
• Including qualifying, Sturm Graz have lost their last nine UEFA Champions League matches.
• Sturm have lost five of their last seven matches at home in UEFA competitions (W1 D1).
• Sporting CP have lost only two of their last seven UEFA competition matches against Austrian teams (W4 D1).
• Sporting CP have lost only one of their last ten UEFA competition matches (W4 D5).
• Sporting CP have lost only one of their last five away matches in the UEFA Champions League competition proper (W1 D3).
• Sporting CP have only failed to score in one of their last 20 UEFA competition matches.
STURM GRAZ VS SPORTING LISBON PREDICTION
Although both sides lead their respective domestic leagues, they have made contrasting starts to their Champions League campaigns as Sporting sit on four points while Sturm have lost both their fixtures to date.
Having said that, the hosts have scored ten goals in their last two games with striker Mika Biereth in particularly prolific form, while the visitors have found the net in 36 consecutive games in all competitions. Given those factors, both teams look likely to score in this one.
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