Bournemouth vs SK Sturm Graz Preview, prediction, injury news & lineups | Europa League 2026-27

This will be the first-ever encounter between the two clubs!

AFC Bournemouth will be looking to battle it out against Sportklub Sturm Graz for their second league phase outing of the UEFA Europa League 2026-27 edition. This can become an interesting outing to watch, taking place at the Vitality Stadium.

Even though the Marco Rose-led side have failed to secure a win in the Premier League so far, they came up with a top performance on their European debut. Bournemouth managed a 2-1 victory against Real Sociedad despite being the away team. They scored two early goals in the first half and this helped them maintain control of the game.

The Cherries will be at home for their next UEL fixture and they will now be looking to secure consecutive victories in the competition. They might not be on a top run of form domestically, but can put up a top show in Europe.

On the other hand, the Blacks were held to a goalless draw by Stade Rennais in their opening game of the UEFA Europa League 2026-27 campaign. They failed to control the tempo of the match and were not good enough in the final third.

SK Sturm Graz will have a lot of hard work to do in their upcoming fixture against the Premier League opponent. Being away from home is going to put them under additional pressure.

Kick-off:

• Location: Bournemouth, England
• Stadium: Vitality Stadium
• Date: Friday, October 16
• Kick-off Time: 12:30 am IST (Thursday, Oct 15; 07:00 pm GMT/ 03:00 pm ET/ 12:00 pm PT)
• Referee: TBA
• VAR: In use

Form:

Bournemouth: W-D-W-L-L

Sturm Graz: W-D-L-W-W

Players to Watch

Evanilson (Bournemouth)

The 27-year-old Brazilian striker was the sole goalscorer for the Cherries in their 1-5 loss against Chelsea in their recent Premier League outing. Evanilson will be looking to step up his game so that he can help his side secure another win in the Europa League.

Jürgen Heil (Sturm Graz)

Jürgen Heil will be looking to step up his game to help his side stand a chance against the Cherries. He can establish control in the midfield and is also capable of causing problems for his rivals on the right flank. The 29-year-old will be looking to engrave his name on the scoresheet.

Match Facts

• Bournemouth have failed to secure a win in their last eight matches.
• SK Sturm Graz are on a two-game winning run.
• These clubs are going to take on one another for the first time.

Betting Tips & Odds

• Bournemouth to win @2/9 Ladbrokes
• Evanilson to score @10/11 Betfair
• Goals under 3.5 @10/11 bet365

Injury and Team News

Julian Araujo, Alex Scott, Junior Kroupi and Justin Kluivert are not going to be in action for Bournemouth. They are injured. Veljko Milosavljevic and Amine Adli might also miss out due to their fitness issues.

For SK Sturm Graz, Nelson Weiper, Gizo Mamageishvili, Otar Kiteishvili, Filip Rozga, Leon Grgic, Seedy Jatta and Emran Soglo will sit out. They are injured.

Head-to-Head

Matches played: 0

Bournemouth (wins): 0

Sturm Graz (wins): 0

Draws: 0

Predicted Lineups

Bournemouth predicted XI (4-2-3-1)

Petrovic (GK); Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Adams, Christie; Brooks, Rayan, Tavernier; Evanilson

Sturm Graz predicted XI (4-2-3-1)

Khudyakov (GK); Malic, Quarshie, Koller, Balbo; Weinhand, Stankovic; Heil, Matoshi, Seidl; Diakite

Match Prediction

AFC Bournemouth are going to be the hosts and they will have a slight edge over their opponents. SK Sturm Graz will have a tough contest and must not make any mistakes.

The Cherries are likely to come out on top and secure a win in their upcoming UEFA Europa League game.

Prediction: Bournemouth 2-0 SK Sturm Graz

Telecast Details

India: Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV

UK: TNT Sports

Austria: Canal+, Sky Austria, Servus TV

USA: Paramount+, DAZN, TUDN

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