Sturm Graz vs Girona facts

Sturm Graz will look for their first win against Spanish opponents at the seventh time of asking as European debutants Girona come to Austria on UEFA Champions League Matchday 5.

Sturm – who are under new management with Jürgen Säumel in interim charge following Christian Ilzer's departure for Hoffenheim – have lost five of their six games against Spanish sides and are also one of five clubs without a point in this season's league phase, losing at Brest (1-2) and, on Matchday 4, Borussia Dortmund (0-1) and at home to Club Brugge (0-1) and Sporting CP (0-2).

Girona have been beaten in three of their four fixtures but have three points thanks to a 2-0 home win against Slovan Bratislava on Matchday 3. The Liga outfit conceded a 90th-minute own goal to lose 1-0 at Paris Saint-Germain in their first-ever European game and have also been beaten 3-2 at home by Feyenoord and 4-0 at PSV Eindhoven last time out.

This is the clubs' first fixture and Girona's first against an Austrian club.

Form guide

Sturm Graz

Record vs Spanish clubs: W0 D1 L5 F3 A20
Home record vs Spanish clubs: W0 D0 L3

Sturm's last fixture against a Liga club ended in a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad on Matchday 4 of the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League.

That was their sixth game against a Spanish team, the first time they had avoided defeat and only their third goal.

Sturm had lost 0-1 to La Real in Austria on Matchday 3, making it three defeats – and 11 goals conceded – in as many games at home to Spanish visitors.

The Graz club lost twice to both Real Madrid (1-6 a, 1-5 h) and Valencia (0-2 a, 0-5 h) in the Champions League group stage in 1998/99 and second group stage in 2000/01 respectively.

This is the fourth time Sturm have featured in the Champions League proper – and the first since 2001/02, their third successive appearance.

That most recent campaign is the only one in which the Austrian side survived the initial group stage. First in their section ahead of Galatasaray, Rangers and Monaco, Sturm were third behind Valencia and Manchester United in the second group stage, though they did end with six points thanks to two wins against Panathinaikos.

Sturm have lost five times in Champions League qualifying since that last group appearance 23 seasons ago. This is the first time they have qualified direct.

In 2023/24, Sturm were beaten 7-2 on aggregate by PSV in the Champions League third qualifying round, and then finished third in their Europa League group behind eventual champions Atalanta and Sporting CP. That sent them into the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they eventually lost to LOSC Lille in the last 16 (0-3 h, 1-1 a).

The Austrian club have lost six of their last eight home European games (W1 D1) and have only five victories in their last 27, a sequence that stretches back to 2011 and includes 19 defeats.

There was domestic success for Ilzer's side last season, Sturm finishing top of the Austrian Bundesliga to end Salzburg's run of ten titles in a row. It was the club's fourth league triumph and a first since 2010/11; they also claimed the Austrian Cup for the seventh time, winning a second domestic double.

Girona

Girona are the 14th Spanish side to feature in the Champions League proper – one short of Germany's competition record.

Indeed, this is the first time Girona have taken part in UEFA competition. Leipzig, in 2017, are the only previous club to have made their European debut in the Champions League proper, an honour Girona have shared with Brest this season.

Girona are one of five clubs to be making their Champions League debuts in 2024/25, along with Aston Villa, Bologna, Brest and Slovan Bratislava.

Míchel guided Girona to third place in last season's La Liga table on 81 points, 14 behind champions Real Madrid and only four adrift of runners-up Barcelona. Atlético de Madrid were fourth, five points behind Girona.

That was also Los Blanquivermells' highest league placing in what was only their fourth season in the Spanish top flight; they had finished tenth in both 2017/18 and 2022/23 and 18th in 2018/19, when they were relegated.

Links and trivia

Viktor Tsygankov scored the extra-time winner as Dynamo Kyiv won 2-1 at Sturm – and 3-1 on aggregate – in the 2022/23 Champions League third qualifying round second leg.

Daley Blind and Donny van de Beek both played in both legs as Ajax beat Sturm Graz 5-1 on aggregate in the 2018/19 Champions League second qualifying round (2-0 h, 1-3 a).

Portu was in the Real Sociedad team that won 1-0 away and drew 1-1 at home against Sturm in the 2021/22 Europa League group stage.

Latest news

Sturm Graz

Sturm coach Christian Ilzer departed for German club Hoffenheim on 15 November with Jürgen Säumel named as his interim replacement.

On Saturday Sturm were 7-0 winners at home to Austria Klagenfurt, William Bøving and Mika Biereth both scoring twice in what the club's biggest league victory since 20 May 2000.

The Austrian champions are unbeaten in eight league games (W6 D2), since a 0-3 home loss to Wolfsberg on 22 September.

Absent on Saturday, Erencan Yardımcı has three goals in his last four Sturm appearances.

Seedy Jatta was sent off in Norway's 2-1 win against Finland (3-6 aggregate) in the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-off second leg on 19 November.

Gregory Wüthrich came on on Saturday having been out since suffering a hand injury early in the defeat at Brest on Matchday 1.

Jusuf Gazibegović started having been sidelined since Matchday 4.

Jon Gorenc Stanković fractured his forearm on 28 September and has not played since.

Amady Camara has not played since 19 October due to an infection.

Girona

Girona made it four wins in their last five games in all competitions (L1) thanks to a 4-1 home success against Espanyol on Saturday, Bojan Miovski scoring twice with all his team's goals coming in the first 27 minutes.

Having won only two of their first ten games of the season, Girona have been victorious in six of the last nine (L3).

Bryan Gil, who opened the scoring on Saturday, scored his first international goal in Spain's 3-2 UEFA Nations League win against Switzerland on 18 November.

Miovski's winner against the Faroe Islands on 17 November helped North Macedonia finish top of Group C4.

Yaser Asprilla started against Espanyol having not played since 10 October due to a sprained ankle while Viktor Tsygankov (out since 2 October, hamstring), Arnaut Danjuma (30 October, hamstring) and Iván Martín (22 October, adductor) all returned as substitutes. Alejandro Francés (26 October, hamstring) and Jhon Solis (17 October, muscle) were unused replacements.

Abel Ruiz has not played since 20 October due to an adductor problem.

Yangel Herrera was replaced early in Venezuela's 1-1 draw against Brazil on 14 November with a calf problem and missed Saturday's win.

Cristian Portu underwent surgery on his right ankle on 14 October and has not played since.