Sturm Graz host Celje in the Europa League. Sturm Graz have generally picked up more wins across their recent games than Celje, whose results have been a lot more mixed over the same spell.
Both sides have already played their opening league-phase fixture this season, and the outcomes went very differently for each of them. How they bounce back from that first result is worth keeping in mind here.
Analysis updated .
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Form going into this one
Sturm Graz's last 20 matches across all competitions show 11 wins, four draws and five defeats, with 38 scored and 24 conceded. That run includes a comfortable Bundesliga win over Lask Linz, a goalless home draw with Rennes in the Europa League, and a heavy away defeat at Salzburg, so the pattern has been more up-and-down lately than the overall record suggests.
Sturm Graz: 20 completed matches; Celje: 20 completed matches.
Sturm Graz
- Win
- 55% 11 / 20
- Draw
- 20% 4 / 20
- Loss
- 25% 5 / 20
- Scored
- 38
- Conceded
- 24
- Difference
- +14
Celje
- Win
- 25% 5 / 20
- Draw
- 40% 8 / 20
- Loss
- 35% 7 / 20
- Scored
- 26
- Conceded
- 28
- Difference
- -2
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendlies Clubs | Sturm Graz | Floridsdorfer AC | 02.10.2026 | 3-1 |
| Bundesliga | Red Bull Salzburg | Sturm Graz | 20.09.2026 | 3-0 |
| UEFA Europa League | Sturm Graz | Rennes | 16.09.2026 | 0-0 |
| Bundesliga | Sturm Graz | Lask Linz | 13.09.2026 | 2-1 |
| Cup | Voitsberg | Sturm Graz | 05.09.2026 | 1-4 |
| Bundesliga | Rapid Vienna | Sturm Graz | 30.08.2026 | 3-1 |
| Bundesliga | Sturm Graz | Austria Lustenau | 22.08.2026 | 1-1 |
| Bundesliga | Sturm Graz | SCR Altach | 15.08.2026 | 1-0 |
| UEFA Champions League | Sturm Graz | Fenerbahçe | 11.08.2026 | 0-1 |
| Bundesliga | TSV Hartberg | Sturm Graz | 08.08.2026 | 0-2 |
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. SNL | Mura | Celje | 20.09.2026 | 0-0 |
| UEFA Europa League | Bayer Leverkusen | Celje | 16.09.2026 | 2-0 |
| 1. SNL | Bravo | Celje | 12.09.2026 | 2-1 |
| 1. SNL | Celje | Koper | 06.09.2026 | 0-1 |
| 1. SNL | Aluminij | Celje | 02.09.2026 | 0-2 |
| 1. SNL | Brinje-Grosuplje | Celje | 30.08.2026 | 4-1 |
| UEFA Champions League | Celje | Slovan Bratislava | 26.08.2026 | 1-2 |
| UEFA Champions League | Slovan Bratislava | Celje | 19.08.2026 | 1-1 |
| 1. SNL | Nafta | Celje | 15.08.2026 | 1-3 |
| UEFA Champions League | Celje | Ararat-Armenia | 11.08.2026 | 2-0 |
Celje's equivalent sample reads five wins, eight draws and seven losses, with 26 scored and 28 conceded. Their recent games have leaned towards draws and losses, including a defeat at Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League, a loss away at Bravo, and a home defeat to Koper, so consistency has been hard to find.
Sturm Graz's sample shows more wins overall, but neither side has been flowing smoothly into this fixture.
Comparative Team Statistics: Sturm Graz vs Celje
Europa League table after matchday one
In the Europa League league phase itself, Sturm Graz sit 17th after one match, having taken a point from that draw with Rennes. Celje are down in 31st having lost their opener 2-0 away at Bayer Leverkusen without scoring.
| № | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF/GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Omonia Nicosia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/0 | 3 |
| 17 | Sturm Graz | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1 |
| 18 | Rennes | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1 |
| 30 | AC Milan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/2 | 0 |
| 31 | Celje | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/2 | 0 |
| 32 | Marseille | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/4 | 0 |
That's only one result each, so it's a small early snapshot rather than a settled picture of where either side stands in the competition.
What to expect
Sturm Graz go into this with a broadly stronger overall record and a point already on the board in the league phase, but their recent form has included a heavy away loss and a goalless home draw, so they haven't been cruising.
Celje arrive having lost their league-phase opener without scoring and with more draws and defeats than wins in their last 20 games. They'll need a response, but nothing in their recent run points clearly to one.
Squad lists and player details
Squad and player details
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Vallci | Austria | 31 | Defender | 191 | 85 |
| A. Helac | Austria | 28 | Goalkeeper | 190 | 87 |
| O. Kiteishvili | Georgia | 30 | Midfielder | 173 | 65 |
| P. Koller | Austria | 24 | Defender | 186 | 81 |
| J. Heil | Austria | 29 | Defender | 176 | 70 |
| J. Gorenc Stankovič | Slovenia | 30 | Midfielder | 190 | 78 |
| S. Włodarczyk | Poland | 23 | Attacker | 192 | 77 |
| G. Haider | Austria | 24 | Defender | 187 | 78 |
| S. Seidl | Austria | 24 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| S. Jatta | Norway | 23 | Attacker | 182 | 70 |
| G. Mamageishvili | Georgia | 23 | Midfielder | 180 | 71 |
| D. Khudyakov | Russia | 22 | Goalkeeper | 194 | 85 |
| J. Mitchell | Costa Rica | 22 | Defender | 187 | 82 |
| J. Halwachs | Austria | 23 | Midfielder | 188 | n/a |
| J. Quarshie | Germany | 22 | Defender | 196 | 91 |
| O. Diakité | Côte d'Ivoire | 22 | Attacker | 182 | 76 |
| R. Fosso | Switzerland | 24 | Midfielder | 183 | 70 |
| N. Weiper | Germany | 21 | Attacker | 191 | 82 |
| E. Soglo | England | 21 | Defender | 178 | 63 |
| B. Beganović | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 22 | Attacker | 183 | 76 |
| E. Lorenz | Austria | 20 | Goalkeeper | 194 | n/a |
| L. Grgić | Austria | 20 | Attacker | 189 | n/a |
| F. Rózga | Poland | 20 | Midfielder | 176 | n/a |
| V. Matoshi | Switzerland | 23 | Midfielder | 184 | 82 |
| C. Wiener-Pucher | Austria | 20 | Goalkeeper | 186 | n/a |
| A. Malic | Slovenia | 21 | Defender | 186 | 70 |
| Filip Rozga | n/a | n/a | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| L. Balbo | Venezuela | 20 | Defender | 177 cm | 72 kg |
| A. Kayombo | France | 20 | Attacker | 186 | 84 |
| P. Petrović | Montenegro | 21 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| Jacob Peter Hödl | Austria | 19 | Midfielder | 175 | n/a |
| Jonas Peinhart | Austria | 17 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| Luca Weinhandl | Austria | 17 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| M. Grgic | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. Koútris | Greece | 31 | Defender | 175 | 71 |
| B. Verbič | Slovenia | 32 | Midfielder | 179 | 70 |
| Y. Dukuly | Australia | 23 | Attacker | 176 | n/a |
| M. Kvesić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 34 | Midfielder | 175 | 72 |
| M. Poplatnik | Slovenia | 34 | Attacker | 178 | 69 |
| D. Vukliševič | Slovenia | 31 | Defender | 193 | 86 |
| P. Širvys | Lithuania | 28 | Defender | 183 | 77 |
| A. Kučys | Lithuania | 23 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| A. Kotnik | Slovenia | 31 | Midfielder | 189 | 85 |
| Ž. Frelih | Slovenia | 28 | Goalkeeper | 197 | 90 |
| R. Požeg | Slovenia | 32 | Attacker | 174 | n/a |
| S. Sešlar | Slovenia | 24 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| D. Hrka | Slovenia | 26 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| B. Kramer | Slovenia | 30 | Attacker | 191 | 87 |
| I. Ćalušić | Croatia | 27 | Defender | 187 cm | 82 kg |
| L. Tičić | Slovenia | 25 | Midfielder | 178 | 76 |
| M. Zabukovnik | Slovenia | 25 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| A. Dionkou | Senegal | 25 | Defender | 183 | 70 |
| Ł. Bejger | Poland | 24 | Defender | 190 | 76 |
| V. Tusha | Kosovo | 23 | Attacker | 183 | n/a |
| M. Avdyli | Kosovo | 24 | Defender | 180 | 70 |
| Žan-Luk Leban | Slovenia | 23 | Goalkeeper | 188 | 74 |
| Papa Mustapha Daniel | Nigeria | 24 | Midfielder | ||
| A. Tutyškinas | Lithuania | 23 | Defender | 190 | 82 |
| L. Kolar | Slovenia | 21 | Goalkeeper | n/a | n/a |
| M. Ivanšek | Slovenia | 22 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| D. Suhovrsnik | n/a | n/a | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
Sturm Graz look the more rounded side on the numbers, but their own form has dipped in and out lately, and Celje haven't given much reason for confidence either.
With no markets available to assess, this one is best left alone rather than forcing a pick.
Who will win?
