Sturm Graz and Real Sociedad go in search of their first wins in the UEFA Europa League when they square off at Merkur Arena. While the Austrians have lost their two matches in the competition, Sociedad have not been beaten and will fancy their chances on Thursday.
Sturm Graz suffered a 4-1 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven in their previous Europa League fixture with Jon Stankovic netting a consolation in the second half. It was their second straight defeat in the competition having lost 1-0 to Monaco in their opening fixture.
Things have not been particularly smooth for Sturm Graz lately with two defeats in their last three matches in all competitions. Christian Ilzer’s men have been poor on the road and were beaten 3-2 by Hartberg in their previous away fixture.
Defending has also been a problem for Sturm Graz, who have conceded seven goals in their last three matches.
Real Sociedad are still without a win in the Europa League but have also avoided defeat in their two matches. They began with a 2-2 draw against PSV before being held 1-1 by Monaco last time out.
Despite being winless in the Europa League, manager Imanol Alguacil will still be pleased with Real Sociedad’s overall start to the season. They are currently three points clear at the top of La Liga and claimed a 1-0 victory over Mallorca in their previous domestic fixture.
Real Sociedad have a solid record on the road and are unbeaten in their last four away matches, claiming two wins in that run. They often struggle to maintain their discipline at the back and have conceded in their last four away matches.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Real Sociedad as favourites for the win at 6/10 with William Hill. A victory for Sturm Graz is valued at 47/10 by SBK while a draw is valued at odds 10/3 with bet365.
Head to head
This is the first ever meeting between Sturm Graz and Real Sociedad.
Players to watch
Striker Kelvin Yeboah has scored four goals in his last six appearances for Sturm Graz and is priced at 45/17 with SBK to score at anytime. Jakob Jantscher has also found the net in his last two matches and could be worth a punt in the same market at 56/19 with SBK.
Mikel Oyarzabal is the top scorer for Real Sociedad this season and bet365 is offering 11/10 on the forward to score anytime. Striker Alexander Isak could also be worth keeping an eye on in the same market at 11/10 Vbet.
Anything else catch the eye?
There has been BTTS in Real Sociedad’s last three away matches and they could be set for a repeat at 31/40 with betway. There have been also over 3.5 goals in two of their last three away matches and a similar outcome is priced at 7/4 with Paddy Power.
Over 2.5 goals can be considered at 9/13 with SBK while Sociedad can also be tipped to earn a win and over 2.5 goals at 13/10 with betfair.
This UEFA Europa League match between Sturm Graz and Real Sociedad will be played on Oct 21, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sturm Graz vs Real Sociedad prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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