Sturm vs Rennes Prediction 16 September 2026
🔊 Sturm beat LASK 2-1 on Sunday, ending the Austrian league leaders' run of five wins from five, while the hosts themselves sit fourth in the table. Rennes edged Marseille 1-0 on Friday and are third in Ligue 1 with ten points, level with Lille and Monaco.
Head-to-Head
📊 Sturm and Rennes have never met in any competition - that changes on Wednesday. The last French club Sturm faced was Lille, in the Round of 16 of the Conference League. In spring 2024, Sturm lost heavily at home before drawing in the second leg. Rennes have not played in European competition since that same spring.
Head-to-head statistics Sturm - Rennes
Sturm Graz Team Overview
Sturm are Austria's runners-up, and they dropped into the Europa League via Champions League qualifying: Fabio Ingolitsch's side beat Scottish club Hearts in the summer, then lost to Fenerbahçe on aggregate in the following round (0-3). Ingolitsch took charge of the club in January, having moved from Altach. Their Bundesliga start has been inconsistent: after five rounds Sturm had eight points, and in the fifth they were beaten by Rapid without picking up anything.
Gizo Mamageishvili opened the scoring against LASK, and the winner came from new signing Umar Diakité, who scored on his debut for the club. The gap to first place has been cut to four points. Otar Kiteishvili has also returned to the squad: the Georgian had been out for a long time through injury, came on as a substitute against LASK, and missed a penalty in stoppage time.
Match Results: Sturm Graz
Stade Rennes Team Overview
Rennes are unbeaten since the opening round - a draw with PSG, then wins over Le Mans, Angers and Marseille, giving them ten points from a possible 12. Franck Haise took charge of the club in February and brought in seven new signings over the summer: Charlie Cresswell arrived in central defence from Toulouse, Adrien Thomasson from Lens, and Issa Soumaré from Le Havre.
Up front, everything revolves around Esteban Lepaul: three goals in four rounds, with no other Rennes player scoring more than one. The Frenchman has gone quiet in the last two Ligue 1 rounds, and it was Thomasson who secured the win over Marseille - after a delivery from substitute Musa Al-Tamari. At the back, things are less settled: Rennes have kept just one clean sheet in four rounds.
Match Results: Stade Rennes
Latest news
Sturm Graz
❌ The hosts have a small injury list. Leon Grgic is unlikely to feature due to a knee injury, while defender Emran Soglo picked up a muscle injury in training. Jatta is also a doubt after being substituted on the 50th minute on Sunday. Niklas Geyrhofer, Szymon Włodarczyk and Axel Kayombo were not included in the squad for the league phase, which has narrowed the manager's options. Summer signings Joshua Quarshie and Valmir Matoshi, on the other hand, have established themselves in the starting XI - both started against LASK.
Stade Rennes
❓ Ez has no reported injuries and has a fully fit squad available. Outside the group are Alidu Seidu, who is in talks over a move to Nice, Arnaud Nordin and Djaoui Sissé. Ez has warned that rotation will be unavoidable given the fixture schedule, so changes are expected in Graz. On a fresh note, Lepahl has been included in Zinedine Zidane's preliminary list, with France's first squad announcement due on 18 September. The Breton side have also travelled to Slovenia to prepare for the match - no hotels were available in Styria due to a motorcycle racing event at Spielberg.
Predicted Lineups
📋 Predicted starting XI - Sturm: Khudyakov - Heil, Quarshie, Walzi, Malic - Seidl, Matoši, Gorenc-Stanković, Höedl - Mamageishvili, Diakité.
📋 Predicted starting XI - Rennes: Samba - Frankowski, Cresswell, Rouas, Merlin - Camara, Rongier, Thomasson - Bla, Lepahl, Al-Tamari.
⚽️ Goals Prediction
Rennes start quickly: away from home, they have scored in the first half in 7 of their last 8 matches. Sturm's defence lends itself to that kind of scenario - on Sunday the hosts conceded in first-half stoppage time. The bet is Rennes to Score in the First Half at 1.74*.
🚩 Corners Prediction
Over their last ten matches, Sturm's games have averaged 11.7 corners, while Rennes' games have averaged 12.6. Sturm have taken 6.0 corners per game with 5.7 conceded, while Rennes have taken 6.7 with 5.9 conceded. Looking at individual matches: Rennes have had more than nine corners in 11 of their last 12 games, and Sturm in 6 of their last 7. Away from home, Rennes' run extends to five consecutive matches. The bet is Total Corners - Over 9.5 at 1.82*.
🟨 Yellow Cards Prediction
The referee is Lithuanian official Manfredas Lukjančukas - one of the strictest referees in the tournament. He averages 4.3 yellow cards per match over his last 10 games and 4.92 per 100. In Sturm's last 10 matches, referees have shown an average of 3.9 yellow cards, while in Rennes' matches the figure is 3.2. Sturm themselves pick up 2.2 bookings per match, and Rennes' opponents average 1.7. The bet is Total Yellow Cards - Over 2.5.
*Odds are approximate and may vary across different bookmakers
⭐️ Editorial Prediction
Sturm have gone unbeaten at home in 13 of their last 14 matches. Rennes have scored and conceded in 7 of their last 8 games. Away from home, they have scored in eight consecutive matches. That said, we are not expecting an open game: Sturm have scored more than one goal in a match just once in their last six Europa League fixtures. Our bet is Both Teams to Score - Yes. Predicted score: 1-1.
No comments
Betting Tips: Sturm Graz - Stade Rennes
in 13 of last 14 home games.
in last 23 Sturm Graz home games.in 12 of last 13 Sturm Graz games.
in last 10 Manfredas Lukjancukas games.in last 8 Sturm Graz games (Europa League).in last 7 Manfredas Lukjancukas games (in the Europa League).in 17 of last 18 games.in last 8 away games.
Comparison of Teams Stats
Other predictions
