The Grazer hope for the end of a dry spell and the first European Cup group stage since 2011.
For Sturm Graz, the ticket for the group stage of the Europa League is at hand. After the 3-1 success at NS Mura, the Styrians have all the trumps in hand in the play-off second leg in their own Merkur Arena on Thursday evening (9 p.m. / live ORF 1). A promotion would end a long dry spell, if it would be the first participation in the Europa League as well as in a European group stage since autumn 2011.
That would be the highlight of Christian Ilzer's tenure so far. Under the 43-year-old, Sturm has once again blossomed into an absolute top club in Austria, which is also underpinned by second place after five rounds in the Bundesliga. As a reward, the day before the second leg against Mura, the working papers were prematurely extended by one year to summer 2024 by the head coach and sports director Andreas Schicker. The euphoria in Graz is currently very high.
“Tomorrow we need a highly concentrated performance over the entire season,” warned Ilzer. His respect for the opponent is great despite the sovereign success on Slovenian soil. “Mura is like a cat that has seven lives.”
