Sturm Graz are an established Austrian club, founded in 1909 and based at the Merkur-Arena. Their profile is not obscure: a settled name from Austrian football with a sizeable squad, a young average age of 24, and enough recent form to merit proper attention.
Their season ended with a solid unbeaten run in the league: wins over Rapid Vienna and TSV Hartberg followed by draws against Red Bull Salzburg, Austria Vienna and LASK. They were more productive away from home than at the Merkur-Arena, averaging 2.1 goals scored on the road compared with 1.1 at home, while conceding 1.1 per match in both settings.
Otar Kiteishvili carried the main scoring burden with 19 goals. Seedy Jatta added six, with Tomi Horvat and Maurice Malone on four each, and Belmin Beganović on three. Sturm also had a habit of starting quickly, scoring the first goal inside 20 minutes in seven of their 18 league matches.
For Celtic supporters, Sturm Graz are best viewed as a young, capable Austrian side with a clear away threat and recent resilience. They are not a glamour name, but they are a proper opponent.
