Sturm Graz hosts Monaco in round 6 of the Europa League group stage. The match will be played on Thursday, December 9th at Merkur-Arena (Graz)
Christian Ilzer's team is on the 4th line in the standings with one point. Sturm Graz gained one draw and suffered four losses in five games. The Blackies will play their final match in European competitions this season. After the away defeat to the Dutch PSV (2-0), they lost even the mathematical chances to take third place in Group B. The elimination from the European competitions was a consequence of the decline in the results of Sturm Graz. In the last ten official games, the club Graz defeated only the outsider of the Austrian championship, Altach (1-0). On December 4, Ilzer's footballers missed the home victory over another team from the bottom, Admira Wacker (1-1). Having scored an early goal with the efforts of Jakob Jantscher, the Blackies conceded the return goal shortly before the end of the 1st half.
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Niko Kovac's team is ranked 1st in Group B with 11 points after five matches. Monaco gained three victories and two draws. The Monegasques can place the current group stage on the record of their achievements. One round before the finish, Kovac’s footballers ensured themselves a promotion to the Europa League 1/8 finals from the 1st line. The Red-Whites took a decisive step in the match of the last round when they beat Spanish Real Sociedad with ten men (2-1). On December 5, the Monegasques extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches in all tournaments, defeating Metz at home (4-0). The goals were scored through the efforts of Sofiane Diop, Kevin Volland (he converted a penalty), Gelson Martins, and Wissam Ben-Yedder, who received a heel pass from the Russian legionnaire Aleksandr Golovin.
The teams that no longer have tournament motivation will meet in Graz. Monaco guaranteed the victory in the group, and Sturm will not leave the last place. For this reason, the coaching staffs of the teams can save some of the leaders and check the reservists. It makes sense both for the Monegasques, who will have an important Ligue 1 away match against PSG on December 12, and for the Austrians, who need to catch up with Wolfsberger, which has reached second place in the championship. The physical fitness of Monaco is better than that of Sturm, and the Monegasques have a more solid reserve, which makes them the favorites of the upcoming match. In previous home matches of the Europa League, Sturm Graz lost to PSV (1-4) and Real Sociedad (0-1), and the more stable Monegasques are unlikely to falter in the upcoming match.
Prediction for the match: AS Monaco to win
