The Matchday 6 encounter of the 2024/25 Champions League group stage between Lille (France) and Sturm Graz (Austria) will take place on December 11 at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium. Lille vs. Sturm Graz: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (Bulgaria)
Matches – 8 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 44;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.5;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 0%.
Predicted lineups for Lille vs. Sturm Graz
Lille (4-5-1): Lucas Chevalier – Thomas Meunier, Bafodé Diakité, Alexsandro Ribeiro, Gabriel Gudmundsson – Benjamin André, Ngalayel Mukau, Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, Matias Fernandez Pardo, Usame Sahraoui – Jonathan David.
Sturm Graz (4-3-1-2): Daniil Khudyakov – Dimitri Lavalée, Gregory Wüthrich, Emanuel Aiwu, Niklas Geyrhofer – Otar Kiteishvili, Lovro Zvonarek, Tomi Horvat – William Böving – Sidi Yatta, Mika Biereth.
Lille
Bruno Génésio's side secured a 2-1 away victory against Bologna in the previous round. As a result, Lille extended their unbeaten run in the Champions League to four matches (3 wins, 1 draw). Additionally, the team scored more than one goal for only the second time in their last six matches in this European competition. In the standings, the French team climbed to 12th place with ten points.
Defenders Tiago Santos and Samuel Umtiti, midfielders Angel Gomes, Ethan Mbappé, Edon Zhegrova, and Nabil Bentaleb will miss the match due to injuries.
- The club has not lost in regular time in 7 of their last 8 home matches in the Champions League (4 wins, 3 draws).
- The team has not conceded more than one goal in 90 minutes in 7 of their last 8 home encounters in this European competition.
- The number "1" has appeared in the scoreline at the end of regular time in 5 of Lille's last 6 home matches in the Champions League.
Sturm Graz
In the previous round, Jürgen Säumel's team defeated Girona 1-0 at home. As a result, Sturm Graz ended their six-match losing streak in the Champions League and earned their first points in the group stage, placing them 29th with three points. Notably, the Austrian side has scored only two goals in this Champions League campaign, with only Bologna having a lower tally. However, in terms of goals conceded (6), Sturm Graz is better than only eight clubs.
Goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen and defender Aleksandar Borković will miss the match due to injuries. Defender Jusuf Gazibegović is suspended.
- The team has not won in regular time in their last ten away matches in the Champions League (2 draws, 8 losses).
- The club has not scored more than once in 90 minutes in their last seven away encounters in the Champions League.
- The Austrians have conceded exactly one or two goals in regular time in 6 of their last 7 away matches in this European competition.
Lille vs. Sturm Graz: Match Prediction
Even on their home turf in European competitions, Lille prioritizes defensive solidity. They have been successful in this approach, not conceding more than one goal in 7 of their last 8 home matches in the Champions League, achieving five clean sheets in this span. However, in attack, the French team doesn't always shine, having scored at least two goals in just two of their last 19 home encounters in this European competition.
Sturm Graz adopts a similar style, favoring a counter-attacking approach and lacking high scoring efficiency. In their last seven away matches in the Champions League, the club has only once allowed opponents to score more than two goals, while conceding just one goal in four instances. Meanwhile, in the same number of away matches, the Austrians have never scored even two goals.
I believe defense will prevail over attack in this clash. My prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
