Bundesliga Austria, Sunday, 04.08.2024 at 17:00
The 2024/25 season in Austria starts for me with an SK Rapid Sturm Graz betting tip, which will hopefully pay off with my trusted betting provider.
I’m expecting a thoroughly successful season from the capital team. However, the bookmakers’ SK Rapid Sturm Graz odds for a successful start to the season are a little too optimistic in this respect
My esteemed betting friend Gerald must have been beaming from ear to ear after his visit to the Allianz Stadium in Vienna yesterday.
And who could blame him? After all, his favorite team Rapid won the Europa League qualifying second leg against Wisła Krakow 6:1 – and this time his team was able to finish the match with a full complement of players!
However, the joy might not last long, as a team that has often embarrassed the Hütteldorfer in recent years will be their guests on Sunday, just in time for the Bundesliga opener
The team in question is, of course, SK Sturm Graz, who beat Rapid three times in the space of 12 days in the final phase of the 2023/24 season as reigning double winners.
The most significant of these three victories over the capital team was undoubtedly the one in the ÖFB Cup final, in which the Styrians even managed to turn around a deficit.
And it was precisely in this competition that the reigning Austrian champions came within a whisker of being eliminated in the first round of the competition for the 2024/25 season just a few days ago.
Sturm Graz had to go into extra time against regional league side Kremser SC, only to narrowly come out on top (4:2 n. V.).
Whoever thinks that after winning the double, Sturm Graz will suddenly throw money around to land big-name superstars is mistaken.
For the new season, Sturm Graz have limited themselves to keeping their key players and have made a few useful new signings here and there for relatively little money.
The most significant news in terms of this year’s transfer campaign for the “Schwoazn” certainly concerns the signing of Mika Biereth, who is on loan from Arsenal London until the summer.
Sturm Graz completed a very intensive preparation before the near-disaster against Kremser SC, which included seven test matches.
However, the only really positive result was limited to a 1:0 against FC Midtjylland, while the Grazers were subsequently unable to beat either Monaco (2:2) or FC Porto (0:2).
However, it is also clear that the double winners have chosen a tough build-up program and are capable of stepping up a gear when something is at stake.
Accordingly, I’m currently eyeing the SK Rapid Sturm Graz odds of the award-winning betting provider in the Bet365 app with great interest.
After all, odds of 2.20 for a win for the defending champions are certainly worth considering. However, I would prefer to use the “Double chance X2” option here to minimize the risk.
This option currently promises odds of just 1.33 on average, but would have helped you to success in all but one of the last 16 head-to-head meetings between Rapid and Sturm.
In this multi-year period, the capital city team has only beaten the men in black once
In my mind’s eye, I’m already predicting a 1-1 draw in this fixture.
Predicting this result outright would be a little risky, but by no means reckless.
After all, half of the four Bundesliga matches between Rapid and Sturm in the previous season ended with this final score.
Sturm Graz also have the advantage of not having to enter the European Cup immediately as reigning Austrian champions.
Although Graz have scheduled a test match against PSG a few days after the clash against Rapid, it is unlikely that they will field their best players.
Rapid, meanwhile, have to travel to Turkey almost immediately afterwards, where the important third-round qualifying first leg against Trabzonspor awaits them on Thursday
Conclusion: The Sturm Graz odds of around 2.20 are very appealing to me, but I am trying to achieve this payout via a small detour in the form of a combination bet.
The Styrians have simply played far too consistently against this opponent in the past not to trust them with at least a draw on Sunday.
Especially as the core of the team has been retained over the summer and Mika Biereth is now even a permanent player.
Furthermore, in my SK Rapid Sturm Graz betting tip, I also predict a rather low-scoring affair, according to which the defending champions will win 2:1 at most.
My betting recommendation is therefore: Double chance X2 & Under 3.5 goals.
