Sturm Graz ahead of Rennes in Europa: form, changes, key players

Sturm Graz travels to face Rennes in the Europa League this Wednesday at 9pm (per L'Équipe) with the sense that the Austrian side is not the same team that met French clubs two years ago in the Champions League (Brest and Lille). This time the visit comes in a much smaller setting: Liebenau, where a little over 12,000 of the roughly 15,400 seats had reportedly been sold by Tuesday night.

A club with history, a different XI

Graz still carries the legacy of Ivica-Osim, the Bosnia-origin legend who played and coached the club and died in 2022, but the immediate question is the current squad’s level. L'Équipe describes a mixed league start for the Styrians (two wins, two draws and one loss), before a statement performance on Sunday: they beat league leaders Linz 2-1, with a goal from Oumar Diakité, on loan from Reims.

European context matters too. The club were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers in the third round by Fenerbahçe (0-2 and 0-1), even though they had seemed close to aiming for the competition in the weeks leading up to it. Their last run-in with French teams came in the Europa League’s league phase in autumn 2024, when they lost to Brest (1-2) and Lille (2-3). From that period, the article notes that only a few players remain, and the coach has changed as well.

“Outsiders” with attacking options back

Fabio Ingolitsch, 34, is now at the helm (as L'Équipe reports). He underlined their underdog status while staying upbeat: “We’re always happy to play against a very good team with lots of individual quality.”

In terms of availability, his main attacking assets are returning. Filip Rozga and especially the playmaker Otar Kiteichvili have come back from injury, according to the piece. That’s the kind of boost Rennes will have to plan for, even if the overall complexion of the squad has shifted since the last French opponent they faced.