Europa League

LIVE NOW: Sturm Graz vs. Olympique Marseille

Sturm Graz leads against Olympique Marseille.(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

Matchday 3 of the Europa League group stage: SK Sturm Graz hosts top French club Olympique Marseille at home. We’re covering the game live—see the live ticker below. The score is currently 1-0 in favor of Sturm Graz.

Here’s the live ticker:

Riding the momentum from their thrilling 6-1 derby victory over GAK and fueled by their home crowd, runner-up Sturm Graz aims to secure its first win in the group stage of the Europa League. While Olympique Marseille is certainly a formidable opponent, the French side has gotten off to anything but an ideal start to its European campaign with two losses. Nevertheless, the roles are clearly defined ahead of the matchup in Graz-Liebenau.

Fabio Ingolitsch(Bild: GEPA)

“Marseille is still above us in the standings, but they’ll have to beat us first in this stadium. We hope to carry that momentum with us,” said Sturm coach Fabio Ingolitsch. “In this city, fueled by the energy and the sense of accomplishment, we want to put in a very bold performance, go all in, and play to win even against a bigger opponent.” There’s a lot to take away from the derby, emphasized Simon Seidl, who impressed with three assists against the “Red Jackets”: “If we come out with the same energy again, we can win this game, too.”

Chudjakow Mentally in “Excellent Shape”
The Styrians will still not be fielding their full-strength lineup; on Sunday, the injury list grew longer with goalkeeper Daniil Chudjakow suffering a broken lower leg. “We’ll miss him immensely on the field. Our thoughts are with Kudi; many have already visited him, and he’s doing well given the circumstances,” Ingolitsch said. “This has brought us all closer together emotionally.” The 22-year-old Russian is mentally in “excellent shape” and has an extremely positive attitude. But: “We can’t let our heads drop too low—Marseille is a top-tier opponent waiting for us.”

Ammar Helac(Bild: GEPA)

Backup goalkeeper Ammar Helac could be in for a grueling European Cup night, but the Sturm coach isn’t worried. “Ammar is at exactly the right age for a soccer player. He’s extremely dedicated and works with total professionalism,” said Ingolitsch about the 28-year-old, who will be guarding Sturm’s goal at least until winter. You can count on him. “He has our full support and our utmost trust.”

Marseille Gets Off to a Rough Start in the Europa League
One month after the scoreless draw in the league opener at home against Stade Rennes—which currently sits sixth in Ligue 1, three spots ahead of Marseille—another top French club is visiting Styria. Olympique got off to a rough start in the fall European campaign against Besiktas (1–4) and Olympiakos (0–1), though the nine-time French champions certainly have higher aspirations.

Timothy Weah(Bild: AFP/JEWEL SAMAD)

In the league, the team led by Spanish coach Imanol Alguacil has at least bounced back, after four losses in their first five games set a negative record. Most recently, “OM” celebrated two away wins against Troyes (2–0) and Angers (5–2). “They have a lot of talented individual players in their ranks,” noted Ingolitsch, referring to U.S. right back Timothy Weah, Brazilian winger Igor Paixao, and Algerian forward Amine Gouiri. It is unlikely that Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, who has recently been sidelined with a thigh injury, will play.

Ingolitsch Expects a “Cauldron”
Just as in their last meeting with Olympique Marseille in the Champions League in October 1999 (3–2), the Graz team is hoping for a victory to get back on track after their 0–3 loss in Bournemouth. “We believe we’re in a position where we can give anyone a run for their money at home and take points off anyone. If we want to advance in the Europa League, we have to pick up full points, especially in our home games,” Ingolitsch emphasized. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 14,000 tickets had been sold, and the French team will be accompanied by more than 1,000 away fans. “They have some of the most famous fans in France. We’re in for a real cauldron—in a good way,” predicted Ingolitsch.