Feyenoord
- After a mixed start to his tenure as head coach of Feyenoord Rotterdam, club legend Robin van Persie appears to have found a formula for the team to succeed in 2025-2026.
- The Rotterdammers play a proactive 4-2-3-1 system that has morphed into a more attacking shape when they have the ball, with Orkun Köçkü and Luciano Valente providing the creativity and Ayase Ueda leading the line.
- Feyenoord are second in the Dutch Eredivisie table with 36 points from 18 games.
- Van Persie has successfully created a team that can overwhelm opponents with its numbers in the attacking third and the pressing intensity that they are capable of, but there is still a lack of cohesion defensively.
- Feyenoord have lost three and drawn two of their last five matches in all competitions, conceding at least once in each match.
Sturm Graz
- Sturm Graz were third in the Austrian Bundesliga table when the winter break arrived, keeping pace in the European positions but trailing the league leaders.
- The Blackies have had their issues at the back, but the pace of the wide players Seedy Jatta and Tomi Horvat provides a solid base of directness when they have the ball.
- The Blackies are likely to pack the central areas in a compact and narrow shape while they look to press opponents with discipline and then counter with lightning-fast vertical transitions when they win possession.
- It will be interesting to see whether the first competitive match for new boss Fabio Ingolitsch creates an element of surprise.
Head-to-Head
The two teams have met twice before in UEFA competition, Feyenoord winning 6-0 in 2022 and Sturm Graz edging a 1-0 win in Austria.
Key Players
- Ayase Ueda - The main goal scorer in the Eredivisie this season is Rotterdammers' Ayase Ueda, who is supplied by the creative contributions of Orkun Köçkü and Luciano Valente.
- Seedy Jatta and Tomi Horvat - Wide players whose pace gives Sturm Graz directness and outlet on the flanks.
