Lille vs Sturm Graz Prediction & Match Preview

• Paulo Fonseca should rotate his starting XI with the fixtures against Brest, Lens, Marseille, and Monaco upcoming in Ligue 1.
• We witnessed a big gap in quality between Lille and Sturm Graz seven days ago on Austrian soil.
• Sturm Graz did not impress in the weekend’s domestic league game either, playing only a 1-1 draw away at Hartberg.

Lille cruised past Sturm Graz seven days ago on Austrian soil. A 3-0 win has put the French outfit in pole position ahead of the rematch this Thursday at Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Can the Austrians at least fix the impression by avoiding a loss in France?

Jonathan David continued his extraordinary spell of form by scoring two of his team’s three goals last week in Graz. It was a one-way street from the first to the final minute as Lille completely justified the favourites’ tag on the occasion. David bagged two more goals in the weekend’s Ligue 1 action. The Canadian forward thus handed Lille a very important point in a 2-2 home stalemate to Rennes on Sunday.

Sturm Graz did not recover from such a painful loss to Lille as they only played a 1-1 draw away at Hartberg on Sunday afternoon. The stalemate represented a serious blow to the team’s title ambitions in Austria. Christian Ilzer’s men sit four points shy of leaders Salzburg after 22 rounds of the competition.

Recent Meetings

Lille and Sturm Graz had not met each other before the last week’s clash in Austria.

The French outfit have completely dominated the game from the first to the final whistle, claiming a commanding 3-0 victory seven days ago in Graz.

Lille vs Sturm Graz Prediction

Lille’s schedule will not get any easier after the last weekend’s clash with Rennes. The fixtures against the likes of Brest (2nd), Lens (5th), Marseille (7th) and Monaco (3rd) are coming in the next four Ligue 1 rounds for Paulo Fonseca’s troops. The Portuguese manager will thus most likely give rest to most of his key players in this reverse game against Sturm Graz. Lille won the first leg 3-0 on the road and they do not have too many reasons to push hard for another victory with such a brutal schedule on the horizon. As Sturm Graz are by no means an elite attacking side, we see enough upside in backing the Under 2.5 goals FT bet at the lucrative 1.95 odds.

Lille are unbeaten in 12 straight home matches across competitions. They won all four home outings in this term of UEFA Conference League. Sturm Graz ended the UEFA Europa League group phase with three consecutive defeats. They have failed to find the back of the net along the way. Whichever team Fonseca decides to send to the pitch on Thursday, Lille should not have too many problems getting the second win in this tie. You can alternatively back the French outfit to have the lead at the half time and win the match at the end at the 2.25 odds.

Steffen Schmidt- March 12, 2024

Lille vs Sturm Graz Betting Tips

Under 2.5 goals

OK

2.00 Odds

HT/FT Lille/Lille

OK

	2.25 Odds
	2.03 Odds

Correct Score: Lille 2-0

OK

	6.50 Odds
	6.50 Odds