SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje preview with predicted lineups, prediction, bet builder tips and standout odds for this Europa League clash. Find the best bets.
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Match Summary
Competition | Europa League |
|---|---|
Match Date | Thursday 5 November 2026 |
Match Time | 20:00 UK time |
Venue (City, Stadium) | Stadion Graz-Liebenau |
Broadcast (TV / Streaming / Radio / Bookmaker Streaming) | TNT Sport Extra |
Sturm Graz host Celje at 20:00 on Thursday in the Europa League, and they carry a miserly home record into a fixture they have every right to control.
Sturm sit 19th but have stalled since edging Marseille. Home is their comfort blanket, though: Fabio Ingolitsch's side have lost just once in nine competitive matches there this season.
Celje sit 29th and are still waiting for a first Europa League win this season. Zoran Zeljković's side do arrive unbeaten in five competitive outings, mind.
This is the clubs' first competitive European meeting. Sturm have two wins and a draw from the previous meetings between the sides, and they start this one with the edge.
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Form
Domestically, a late Oumar Diakité equaliser salvaged a draw at Wolfsberger at the weekend, but Sturm are 11 points behind the Austrian Bundesliga leaders. In Europe, Diakité is the only Sturm player to score in the Europa League this season, Marseille winner included. Their last six competitive outings have been messy, with ten goals conceded.
Celje are unbeaten in five competitive matches, capped by a thumping Slovenian PrvaLiga win over Nafta at the weekend in which Armandas Kučys grabbed a brace. Kučys also scored in the draw with Salzburg that earned their first Europa League point. Travel is the worry: just one win in their last six competitive away matches.
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Lineups & Team News
Injuries & Suspensions
SK Sturm Graz: Emran Soglo (Injured/out), Gizo Mamageishvili (Injured/out), Otar Kiteishvili (Injured/out), Nelson Weiper (Injured/out), Seedy Jatta (Injured/out), Filip Rózga (Injured/out), Daniil Khudyakov (Injured/out)
NK Celje: Jošt Pišek (Injured/out)
SK Sturm Graz
Sturm are badly stretched, with Otar Kiteishvili and Nelson Weiper among seven players sidelined. On the probable line-up, Ammar Helać keeps goal behind a stubborn back three of Arjan Malić, Joshua Quarshie and Paul-Friedrich Koller, a unit that has conceded just four goals across their last 11 European home fixtures. Valmir Matoshi and Simon Seidl support Oumar Diakité up top.
NK Celje
Celje are close to full strength, with Jošt Pišek the only confirmed absentee. Zan-Luk Leban is the probable goalkeeper behind a back four including Łukasz Bejger and Milot Avdyli, with Papa Daniel screening. Svit Sešlar is the creative spark, having registered Celje's first goal in five of his six scoring appearances this season, while Armandas Kučys leads the line.
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Predicted Lineup
SK Sturm Graz
Formation: 3-4-2-1
Predicted Starting Lineup: Ammar Helać, Paul-Friedrich Koller, Joshua Quarshie, Arjan Malić, Luís Balbo, Jon Gorenc Stanković, Luca Weinhandl, Jürgen Heil, Simon Seidl, Valmir Matoshi, Oumar Diakité
NK Celje
Formation: 4-1-4-1
Predicted Starting Lineup: Zan-Luk Leban, Milot Avdyli, Łukasz Bejger, Žan Žužek, Matic Ivansek, Papa Daniel, Benjamin Verbič, Mario Kvesić, Svit Sešlar, Yaya Dukuly, Armandas Kučys
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Key Stats & Match Facts
There have been 27+ shots taken in 3 of Sturm Graz's last 3 matches (Europa League).
Sturm Graz have received 2+ cards in 3 of their last 3 matches (Europa League).
Artemijus Tutyškinas has been carded in 2 of his last 3 appearances (Europa League).
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Prediction & Best Bets
Our prediction: Sturm win, but Celje get on the scoresheet. The betting odds make the hosts 8/15 with 10Bet, and that looks fair for a side this hard to breach at home. Celje are 5/1 with Bet365, and their leaky European defending makes it hard to back them. Still, they carry enough threat through Kučys and Sešlar to land a blow, so expect goals at both ends.
Best Bets
Over 2.5 goals in the Total Goals Over/Under market. The model projects about three goals in this Europa League tie. The projections put the match total at 3.09 goals, and Celje's European defending gives little reason to argue. They have conceded at least twice in ten of their last 13 European fixtures, while Sturm's attack has been scoring freely of late.
Both Teams To Score: Yes. Both sides have been finding the net and leaking goals recently. The projections give both teams to score a 56.91% probability, and the recent evidence backs that up. Celje have scored nine goals across their last six competitive matches, and Sturm have hardly been watertight themselves.
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Bet Builder
Our SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje bet builder tips combine a Sturm win, Oumar Diakité to score anytime, both teams to score and Pijus Širvys to be shown a card.
Sturm to win is the foundation. They have lost just once in nine competitive home matches this season, and Celje have managed a single win in their last six away outings.
Oumar Diakité anytime is the obvious partner. He is Sturm's only Europa League scorer this season, and his previous four goals before the weekend all came at home.
Both teams to score sits naturally alongside. Sturm's opponents have scored six first-half goals against them across their last six competitive fixtures, and Kučys arrives in form.
Pijus Širvys to be shown a card rounds it off at a 32.55% AI probability. Sturm's European outings have been feisty, with their yellow-card tally bettered by only two teams.
At the time of writing, this bet builder pays a best price of 12/1 and is as short as 41/4 elsewhere.
Make sure to get the best odds on your Bet Builder with Oddschecker's Exclusive Bet Builder Comparison Tool.
Bet builder odds correct at time of publishing.
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Talking Points
The big question is whether Celje can crack a Sturm defence that rarely bends at home in Europe. Zoran Zeljković has the visitors in better shape lately, but their Salzburg draw was their first European meeting with an Austrian club, and a blank here would mean consecutive scoreless European away matches for the first time since July 2012. For Sturm, victory would bring successive major European wins for the first time since February 2024, a timely lift with Salzburg next up in the Austrian Bundesliga.
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Predictions FAQs
When is the SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje Europa League game?
The match is on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 20:00 UK time. The competition is the Europa League.
Where is SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje being played?
The match is being played at Stadion Graz-Liebenau.
Where can I watch SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje?
The match is listed on TNT Sport Extra.
What competition is SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje in?
SK Sturm Graz vs NK Celje is a Europa League match.
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