Seeking their first points of the season in the Europa League, Marseille will travel to Liebenauer Stadium in Austria to face Sturm Graz on Thursday.

Both teams suffered defeats on matchday two last week, with Die Schwoazn blanked 3-0 by Bournemouth, leaving them with just one point, while Marseille lost again 1-0 to Olympiacos.

Match preview

Two matches into the League Phase, and Fabio Ingolitsch has yet to unlock much attacking creativity for Sturm Graz.

The fourth-highest scoring team in the Austrian Bundesliga thus far (16 goals) have yet to find the back of the net in the League Phase, one of only three that have not done so after two matchdays, though they are only below the knockout phase line.

The hope is that returning to Graz will change their fortunes, with this side unbeaten in their last five home matches across all competitions, including a 6-1 domestic win versus Grazer AK over the weekend.

On Thursday, they can extend their Europa League unbeaten run at home to three matches, collecting four points in their last two such games without conceding.

At the same time, they have won their last seven home European games when finding the back of the net, a streak dating back to the 2023-24 Conference League knockout phase.

Sturm Graz won their only previous home match against Marseille, winning a Champions League thriller versus the French side in 1999 in Austria 3-2.

Europe has not been kind to Marseille in recent seasons, and that continues to be the case early in this campaign.

The 2023-24 Europa League semi-finalists have been eliminated from a European League Phase in three of their last four appearances and they are one of nine teams without a point in this competition so far.

A win this week would be their first away from home in the Europa League since November 2023 at AEK Athens (2-0) while they can also end a six-match winless run as visitors in this competition on Thursday.

While Bruno Genesio’s men have created the second-fewest big chances in the League Phase of the tournament this season, they have won their last two Ligue 1 matches, netting a combined seven goals over that stretch to move from the relegation zone up to ninth in the table.

Those two domestic triumphs occurred away from home, though on Thursday the French club could lose three successive group outings in this tournament for the first time since 2018 (four).

This week OM can claim their first Europa League triumph on Austrian soil, losing 1-0 to Red Bull Salzburg in the group stage back in 2017, with the latter beating them in extra time in the second leg of their semi-final tie (2-1) later that season.

Sturm Graz Europa League form:

Sturm Graz form (all competitions):

Marseille Europa League form:

Marseille form (all competitions):

Team News

A lower leg fracture could keep Daniil Khudyakov out of the Sturm Graz fold on matchday two, while Gizo Mamageishvili has a sore foot, Otar Kiteishvili is dealing with a calf strain and Nelson Weiper is questionable due to groin pain.

Filip Rozga may be omitted because of muscle tightness, Seedy Jatta is dealing with a shoulder issue, Emran Soglo has a hamstring strain and Leon Grgic is recovering from a cruciate ligament tear.

At Marseille, Derek Cornelius is doubtful due to a hip injury, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could miss another match as he recovers from a leg injury.

Keyliane Abdallah is the only one to find the back of the net for them in this competition so far, putting OM briefly level on matchday one in their 4-1 defeat versus Besiktas.

Sturm Graz possible starting lineup:

Helac; Malic, Hodl, Koller, Balbo; Heil, Stankovic, Weinhandl, Soglo; Seidl, Diakite

Marseille possible starting lineup:

De Lange; Weah, Meite, Aguerd, Palmieri; Abdallah, Mmadi; Harit, Abdelli, Paixao; Gouiri

We say: Sturm Graz 1-1 Marseille

Marseille should feel much better about their recent domestic form, but we do not think they will create enough against a solid defensive unit like Sturm Graz, whose suffocating backline will be hard to break down, especially in Austria.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.