PSV Eindhoven and Sturm Graz get their first taste of UEFA Champions League action as they square off in the third qualifying round. Both teams drew a bye from the earlier rounds and while the Austrians can be tricky opponents, they should be no match for PSV at home.
PSV may have drawn a bye from the earlier rounds but they have had a taste of competitive action ahead of Tuesday’s clash. They claimed a 1-0 victory over Feyenoord in the Dutch Super Cup on Saturday with Noa Lang getting the only goal.
The Dutch giants fell at the playoff stage last season and will be looking to progress to the group stage of the competition for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Peter Bosz’s men have impressed in recent weeks and are coming off wins in their last four matches.
PSV Eindhoven often do their best work at home, claiming 15 wins and two draws in their last 17 matches at the Philips Stadion. However, they are not particularly solid defensively and have kept just one clean sheet in the last four matches in that run.
While the Eredivisie is yet to kick off, the Austrian Bundesliga is already two weeks old, with Sturm Graz already impressing early doors. Christian Ilzer’s men have won their opening two matches, easing past Austria Vienna 3-0 before picking up a 2-0 victory over LASK last Saturday.
The victory at Austria Vienna will give Sturm Graz some confidence heading to Eindhoven as it highlights a decent record on their recent travels. They have won six of their nine away matches, although there are preseason fixtures among the results in that run.
One problem for Sturm Graz is that their Champions League record is quite underwhelming having not played in the group stage of the competition since the 2000-01 season. They fell at this stage last season and are currently on a five-match losing run in the competition.
How the bookies view it
PSV Eindhoven are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 21/50 by 10bet. A victory for Sturm Graz is valued at 7/1 by Coral while a draw is set at odds or 19/5 by William Hill.
Head to head
PSV Eindhoven and Sturm Graz met during the group stage of the Europa League in 2021 with the Dutch side doing the double over their rivals. They claimed a 4-1 victory in Austria before picking up a 2-0 win at Philips Stadion.
Players to watch
PSV Eindhoven have plenty of attacking quality with Luuk De Jong and Noa Lang already looking sharp in recent weeks. Both men can combine to produce over 1.5 goals for the hosts at 4/9 with bet365.
Judging by their two league matches this season, Sturm Graz have no problems scoring goals having found the net five times across both fixtures. Szymon Wlodarczyk and Tomi Horvat have been particularly impressive lately and can lead the visitors to over 0.5 goals at 8/13 with Betfred.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the attacking quality on both sides, Tuesday’s clash could be set to produce goals. Both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with William Hill, over 2.5 goals is priced at 8/13 with William Hill while Paddy Power is offering odds of 6/4 on both teams to score.
PSV Eindhoven appear to have the superior attack and can be tipped to score in both halves at 21/20 with BoyleSports. The Dutch side are also often dominant at home and could be backed in the -1-handicap market at 11/10 with William Hill.
This UEFA Champions League match between PSV Eindhoven and Sturm Graz will be played on Aug 8, 2023 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best PSV Eindhoven vs Sturm Graz prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
