Sturm Graz take on the visitors LASK in the semifinal match of Austrian OFB Cup. The match will be played on Thursday, April 6th at Merkur-Arena (Graz).
Sturm Graz managed to beat the main hegemon of Austrian football, Salzburg, in the previous stage, so Christian Ilzer's team is the favorite of the upcoming battle. In addition to Salzburg, the club from Graz defeated such teams as Ried, Austria Salzburg, and GAK at earlier stages. Sturm is currently in good form, which is confirmed by their last five matches in the Austrian Bundesliga. Sturm has four victories and one defeat during this period. Moreover, Sturm has only one defeat in their last ten matches in all tournaments. Currently, Sturm is second in the league table with a three-point gap from Salzburg. Sturm has a decent attacking potential, having scored 40 goals in the current season. The team's average efficiency is about 2.4 goals per game. Only in two matches of the Austrian championship, Sturm failed to score at home. By the way, one of the opponents was LASK. Sturm has the second-best defense in the championship with 16 conceded goals in 23 matches. However, during the same period of ten matches, the team conceded in seven cases. Thus, it is difficult to call Sturm's defense ideal.
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LASK are also in good shape and occupies the third position in the Austrian championship table. In the last five matches, the team from Linz has two victories, two draws, and one defeat. Over a longer distance of ten games, the black and white team has only two losses. It is worth noting that the team's recent matches have been full of goals (2-2; 2-2; 0-2; 2-3). This is not surprising since LASK, like their opponent today, has attacking power. Under the guidance of Dietmar Kühbauer, LASK has scored 40 goals in 23 matches of the Austrian Bundesliga. The team's average efficiency is 2.6 goals per game. In away matches, the black and white team failed to score only once. LASK's defense is less reliable than that of its main competitors since they have conceded 30 goals. Of the twelve matches played outside their stadium, the team has only two clean sheets.
According to the bookmakers, the home team is the favorite of this match, but judging by their previous meetings, it's not that straightforward. This is especially true when it comes to matches on the Sturm's field. In this regard, and taking into account the factors that the teams in good form will meet, while both opponents usually try to play attacking football and rarely leave the field without a scored goal, I suggest choosing that the teams will score goals against each other. An alternative option could be to consider Over 2.5 goals. This also has the right to exist, but since this is a cup match, the main time may well end with a score of (1:1).
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score – yes.
