Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 Champions League group stage between Sturm Graz (Austria) and Girona (Spain) will be held on November 27 at the Wörthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt. Sturm Graz vs. Girona: prediction, betting odds, and statistics.
Referee: Rohit Saggi (Norway)
Matches – 11 (International matches, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 61;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.6;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 18%.
Predicted lineups for Sturm Graz vs. Girona
Sturm Graz (4-3-1-2): Kjell Scherpen – Dimitri Lavalee, Jusuf Gazibegović, Emanuel Aiwu, Niklas Geyrhofer – Otar Kiteishvili, Lovro Zvonarek, Tomi Horvat – William Bøving – Sidi Yatta, Mika Biereth.
Girona (4-2-3-1): Paulo Gazzaniga – Juanpe, David Lopez, Daley Blind, Ladislav Krejci – Ivan Martin, Oriol Romeu – Donny van de Beek, Miguel Gutierrez, Bryan Gil – Bojan Miovski.
Sturm Graz
The Austrians are among the bottom five teams that have yet to earn a point after four rounds. Sturm Graz started the group stage with a 1-2 away loss to Brest, scoring their only goal in the Champions League main stage so far. They then lost without scoring: at home to Club Brugge (0-1) and Sporting (0-2), and away to Borussia (0-1). In the Champions League, only Bologna has failed to score after four matches, and Young Boys have only one goal.
Defender Aleksandar Borkovic and midfielder Jon Gorenc-Stankovic will miss the match due to injuries.
- Sturm Graz is on a six-match losing streak in the Champions League.
- No more than three goals have been scored in regular time in 6 of the club's last 8 matches in this tournament.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 6 of the Austrians' last 8 Champions League games.
Girona
The Catalans have only three points, earned in a home match against Slovan (2-0). In other matches, the Spaniards have only suffered defeats. They started the tournament with narrow losses to PSG (0-1) and Feyenoord (2-3), followed by a heavy defeat away to PSV (0-4). Michel Sanchez's side is in 29th place, trailing the 24th spot by two points.
Due to injuries, midfielders Yangel Herrera and Gabriel Misehouy will not play. Defender Arnau Martinez is suspended for this match.
- Girona's uncompromising series in the Champions League and La Liga stands at nine matches (5 wins and 4 losses).
- At least one team failed to score in 6 of the Catalans' last 7 matches across both tournaments.
- The Spanish club has won only one of their last six away games in the Champions League and La Liga (1 draw and 4 losses).
Sturm Graz vs. Girona: Match Prediction
Both teams have slim chances of reaching the Champions League playoffs. However, I believe the Catalans will at least not lose the upcoming match, and they might even take all three points. The club’s injury list has shortened, and the team is much more active in attack during the group stage than the hosts (4 goals for the Spaniards, while the Austrians have only scored once). It's also worth noting that Sturm Graz has suffered 10 defeats in their last 12 Champions League matches after 90 minutes (1 win and 1 draw).
Overall, the upcoming match is Girona's last relatively easy fixture in this tournament, where they can potentially earn points. After this, the Catalans face Liverpool and Arsenal at home, as well as an away game against Milan. It's clear that Michel Sanchez's team will be highly motivated for the match in Austria, aiming to secure three valuable points that could help them finish among the top 24.
My prediction – Girona with a handicap (0)
