Bournemouth v Sturm Graz: Europa League preview, predicted line-ups & team news
Bournemouth host Sturm Graz at the Vitality Stadium in matchday two of the Europa League league stage, with a few injury absences and a big gap in the betting.
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There is no knockout drama just yet, but the Europa League's new league stage rewards a fast start, and matchday two is where a decent opening can become a proper platform.
Bournemouth and Sturm Graz both have a single game behind them, one with three points and the other with one, so this is the first real chance for either to build.
The Cherries host the Austrian side at the Vitality Stadium on Thursday night, and the bookmakers have made their view very plain.
Whether the visitors read the same script is another matter.
Bournemouth
Sturm GrazHow did they get here?
Bournemouth began with a win on the road. They beat Real Sociedad 2-1 away, scoring twice inside the first half hour before conceding in the second half, which is a tidy way to open a European campaign.
That result sits at the top of a very short Europa League record, but it does mean they arrive with some momentum.
Sturm Graz took a point at home to Rennes. The match finished 0-0, so the Austrians kept a clean sheet but failed to score, and they had only 38% of the ball on average.
They did manage four shots on target in that game, which suggests the attacking side of the equation isn't completely missing.
What is the rotation picture?
Thursday night Europa League games sit awkwardly alongside weekend league fixtures, and sides often shuffle the pack to cope.
There is no supplied evidence of what Bournemouth have planned, so the sensible reading is that a few changes are possible but not wholesale ones.
The hosts also have a handful of absences to work around, which narrows the options in attack and in goal.
Sturm Graz set up in a 5-3-2 on matchday one and there is little reason to expect a dramatic change of approach in Bournemouth. They will probably stay compact and wait for chances.
BournemouthSturm Graz
Line-ups
Bournemouth4-4-2- 1GĐ. Petrović
- 15DA. Smith
- 14DAntónio Silva
- 18DB. Diakité
- 6DJ. Soler
- 16MM. Tavernier
- 4ML. Cook
- 12MT. Adams
- 11MB. Doak
- 30FÁ. Rodríguez
- 9FEvanilson
Sturm Graz4-4-2- 53GD. Khudyakov
- 23DA. Malic
- 2DJ. Quarshie
- 21DP. Petrović
- 27DL. Balbo
- 28MJ. Heil
- 4MJ. Gorenc Stankovič
- 78MV. Matoshi
- 43MJacob Peter Hödl
- 19FS. Seidl
- 26FB. Beganović
Where to watch
Kick-off at the Vitality Stadium is 20:00 BST on Thursday 15 October 2026.
The UK broadcaster for this fixture is not confirmed yet, and this page will be updated closer to kick-off.
This is a single league-stage match rather than a two-legged tie, and there is no extra time or penalty shoot-out in the league phase, so the result is settled after 90 minutes plus stoppage time.
Stats to know
- Bournemouth won 2-1 at Real Sociedad on matchday one, scoring in the first 30 minutes, and average 2.0 goals scored in their one European game.
- Sturm Graz drew 0-0 at home to Rennes, with one clean sheet and one failed-to-score from one game, on 38% average possession.
- Bournemouth conceded an average of 10 corners in their only game, against 4 for Sturm Graz.
- No head-to-head data between the two clubs has been supplied.
Match Result: Bournemouth to win
The odds say Bournemouth are overwhelming favourites, with a home win priced at 2/11 and Sturm Graz at 13/1. The hosts won away from home in Spain, while the visitors have scored no goals in their only game, so the form points one way. You have to feel Bournemouth will be patient and break down a compact five-man defence, though absences up front could slow them down. Sturm Graz conceded ten corners' worth of pressure only in the other direction, so Bournemouth may also be forced to defend set pieces. The price on a home win is tiny, so the real value is in the goals and the player markets, and a narrow clean sheet for the visitors is the only thing that would spoil the script.