The champions of Austria and Belgium are both looking for their first points of the new UEFA Champions League season as Sturm Graz take on Club Brugge.

Both sides were beaten on Matchday 1, Club Brugge losing 0-3 at home to Borussia Dortmund on 18 September and Sturm going down 1-2 at debutants Brest the following day.

This is the clubs' first meeting.

Form guide

Sturm Graz

Record vs Belgian clubs: W1 D0 L3 F2 A7

Home record vs Belgian clubs: W1 D0 L1

Sturm have lost their last three games against Belgian opponents, most recently home (0-2) and away (0-3) against Anderlecht in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League group stage.

They also went out on away goals to Antwerp in the 1974/75 UEFA Cup first round despite a 2-1 win in the home first leg, losing 0-1 in the return.

This is the fourth time Sturm have featured in the Champions League proper – and the first since 2001/02, their third successive appearance.

That most recent campaign is the only one in which the Austrian side survived the initial group stage. First in their section ahead of Galatasaray, Rangers and Monaco, Sturm were third behind Valencia and Manchester United in the second group stage, though they did end with six points thanks to two wins against Panathinaikos.

Sturm have lost five times in Champions League qualifying since that last group appearance 23 seasons ago. This is the first time they have qualified direct for the group stage.

In 2023/24, Sturm were beaten 7-2 on aggregate by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League third qualifying round, and then finished third in their Europa League group behind eventual champions Atalanta and Sporting CP. That sent them into the UEFA Europa Conference League, the Graz club getting the better of Slovan Bratislava in the knockout round play-offs (5-1 aggregate) before losing to LOSC Lille in the last 16 (0-3 h, 1-1 a).

The Austrian club lost four of their six home European games in 2023/24 (W1 D1) and have only five victories in their last 25, a sequence that stretches back to 2011 and includes 17 defeats.

There was domestic success for Christian Ilzer's side last season, Sturm finishing top of the Austrian Bundesliga to end Salzburg's run of ten titles in a row. It was the club's fourth league triumph and a first since 2010/11; they also claimed the Austrian Cup for the seventh time, winning a second domestic double.

Club Brugge

Record vs Austrian clubs: W6 D2 L5 F23 A25

Away record vs Austrian clubs: W2 D1 L4

Club Brugge beat LASK 1-0 away and 2-1 at home in the 2019/20 Champions League play-offs.

That made it five wins in their last six games against Austrian clubs (L1), after only one victory in their first seven (D2 L4).

Club Brugge lost their first three matches in Austria but have suffered only one defeat in the subsequent four (W2 D1).

This is Club Brugge's 11th campaign in the Champions League proper – one short of Anderlecht's Belgian record.

The most recent came in 2022/23, a club-record fifth in succession, and one to remember as the Belgian side claimed 11 points to finish second in Group B behind Porto and reach the knockout stages for the first time. Benfica proved too strong in the round of 16, however, winning 2-0 in Bruges and 5-1 in Lisbon.

Club Brugge have lost only five of their last 15 away matches in the Champions League proper (W4 D6).

European Cup runners-up to Liverpool in 1978, Club Brugge spent 2023/24 in the Europa Conference League, coming through three qualifying rounds to reach the group stage. Wins in five of their six games gave them first place in their section and they subseuqntly beat Molde 4-2 on aggregate in the round of 16; PAOK were overcome 3-0 on aggregate in the last eight but Fiorentina proved too strong in the semi-finals, winning 4-3 over two legs.

Club Brugge won six of their nine away games in Europe last season, losing the other three.

Champions of Belgium for the 19th time in 2023/24 – their fourth title in five years – Club Brugge appointed Nicky Hayen as their permanent head coach in June. He had succeeded Ronny Deila on a temporary basis in March.

Links and trivia

Have played in Belgium:

Kjell Scherpen (Oostende 2022 loan)

Dimitri Lavalée (Standard Liège 2003–20, Maastricht 2018/19 loan, Sint-Truiden 20211/22 loan)

Latest news

Sturm Graz

On Saturday Sturm were 2-1 winners at BW Linz, ending a run of three games without a win in all competitions. They lost 0-3 at home to Wolfsberg on 22 September before a 2-2 draw at Austria Wien three days later.

Sturm were two up at half-time at Austria but lost both Emir Karic and Seedy Jatta to second yellow cards in the second half.

The Austrian champions had won five successive games in all competitions before their Matchday 1 loss at Brest.

Gregory Wüthrich has been out since suffering a hand injury early in the defeat at Brest.

Max Johnston started on Saturday after recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in the same game.

Club Brugge

On Friday ten-man Club Brugge needed an added-time equaliser from Hans Vanaken to salvage a 1-1 draw at Charleroi having had Raphael Onyedika sent off early in the second half.

Club Brugge had lost their previous two games, both at home, following the 0-3 defeat by Dortmund with a 2-4 loss against Gent on 22 September.

Nicky Hayen's side were beaten in three of their first four games of the season in all competitions – drawing the other – but had won four in a row before losing to Dortmund.

Casper Nielsen returned in the second half on Friday having not played since August due to a muscle injury.

Knee surgery has kept Bjorn Meijer out since May.