Home - Sturm Graz
- Fabio Ingolitsch has transformed the playing style of the Black and Whites since taking charge in January 2026 and his team are playing a narrow, midfield-centric game with an aggressive central counter-press and vertical passing game that is perfectly suited to their talented central midfielders.
- Sturm Graz are in the top four with 31 points from 19 games, but their form has been mixed of late with two wins and three defeats in their last five competitive games.
- Otar Kiteishvili is the creative hub of the team - scoring the most goals and providing the most assists - but it is Sasa Jatta’s movement and finishing in the hole that is the focal point of the side.
- Tomi Horvat, if fit, is a big plus on the right as he can create and finish in the box or switch the attack onto the other side.
Away - Blau-Weiss Linz
- Michael Köllner, who was recently appointed, has a side that presses high with a 3-4-3 shape in which the wingbacks push on to press in wide areas.
- The visitors are strong in the air, particularly on set pieces, and dangerous on the break.
- They have won only once in their last five, however, and are struggling in the Bundesliga with only 14 points from 19 games.
Head-to-Head
Sturm Graz have won eight of the last 12 head-to-head meetings with Linz in all competitions (D1, L3).
Key Players
- Otar Kiteishvili is the creative hub of the team - scoring the most goals and providing the most assists - but it is Sasa Jatta’s movement and finishing in the hole that is the focal point of the side.
- Linz have a goal threat in Shon Zalman Weissman, who scored the penalty that earned them a morale-boosting 2-1 victory at Wolfsberger AC last time out.
- Simon Seidl and Simon Pirkl provide a good assist mix for Köllner’s side with the former driving attacks from midfield and the latter delivering assists from wide areas.
Betting Insights
- The home side are priced at 1.73 to beat Blau-Weiss Linz, who are listed as 5.0 long shots.
- They should be able to outdo their visitors, who are near the bottom of the standings and not in the best of form, but the bet to take is BTTS at 1.83 because both defences look vulnerable right now and both teams carry an attacking threat.
Prediction
The most frequent result - by a narrow margin - is a 2-1 win for Sturm Graz.
