PSV Eindhoven are aiming to do the double over Sturm Graz when they travel to Merkur Arena for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League third round qualifier. PSV hold a 4-1 lead from the first meeting and while the Austrians have a good record at home, another win for the Dutch giants looks to be on the cards.
Sturm Graz were never in the contest in the first meeting and were completely dominated by PSV Eindhoven. They were already three goals down by 32 minutes and although Jon Gorenc Stankovic pulled one back before the break, there was still one more goal for the Dutch side in the second half.
That result is typical of Sturm Graz’s recent form as they have claimed two wins and suffered two defeats from their last five matches. They also followed up last week’s result with a 0-0 draw with Austria Klagenfurt in a Bundesliga fixture last weekend.
Sturm Graz will be relying on home support having gone unbeaten in their last six matches at Merkur Arena, claiming five wins in that run. However, with a three-goal deficit to overturn, Christian Ilzer’s men may be forced to be overly attacking, leaving themselves exposed at the back.
PSV Eindhoven barely left second gear in the first meeting as they cruised to a 4-1 home win. They raced to a three-goal lead by the half-hour mark with Luuk De Jong’s brace following up Isaac Babadi’s early opener, while Ibrahim Sangare added a fourth midway through the second half.
The result is an extension of PSV Eindhoven’s good form in recent weeks as they are currently on a six-match winning run across all competitions. They travel to Austria off the back of a 2-0 victory over Utrecht in their opening Eredivisie fixture last weekend.
Beyond the first leg win, PSV’s away record is another reason for confidence as they are unbeaten in their last 10 matches on the road, claiming eight wins in that run. However, as already seen in the first meeting, Peter Bosz’s men tend to concede the odd goal and are without a clean sheet in seven matches in that run.
How the bookies view it
Despite being the visitors on Tuesday, PSV still have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 11/10 by bet365. Sturm Graz are considered outsiders at home at 9/4 with William Hill while Paddy Power is offering odds of 14/5 for a draw.
Head to head
PSV Eindhoven have now won all three previous matches against Sturm Graz. Prior to last week’s win, the Dutch side had done the double over the Austrians in a Europa League clash in 2021, claiming a 4-1 victory at Merkur Arena before returning home for a 2-0 win.
Players to watch
With Sturm Graz looking to overturn a heavy deficit, they will look to Szymon Wlodarczyk to provide the spark in attack. The forward had a quiet outing in the first leg but with five goals in his last five matches across all competitions, could be backed to find the net on Tuesday at 12/5 with William Hill.
Luuk De Jong netted a brace in the first leg and will be the one to watch in Tuesday’s return fixture. The striker could be worth keeping an eye on to get on the score sheet once again at 15/8 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were five goals in the first meeting and with another open encounter expected on Tuesday, goals could be a valuable market. Both teams can be backed to score at 4/7 with bet365, over 2.5 goals is valued at 13/20 with bet365 while Paddy Power is offering odds of 13/8 for over 3.5 goals.
PSV Eindhoven scored in both halves in the first leg and Tuesday’s clash can be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 2/1 with bet365.
This UEFA Champions League match between Sturm Graz and PSV Eindhoven will be played on Aug 15, 2023 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Sturm Graz vs PSV Eindhoven prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
