Celtic are in action against the Austrian champions tonight.
Sturm Graz travel to Celtic Park after winning back-to-back titles in the Austrian Bundesliga. This ended a run of ten consecutive league triumphs for Red Bull Salzburg.
Salzburg, much like RB Leipzig in Germany, are widely disliked in Austria. Red Bull purchased SV Austria Salzburg in 2005 and completely overhauled the club’s identity to resemble the company’s branding.
Their dethroning by a club with the history of Sturm has been a feel-good story, not least because they have also had to fend off the two giants of the country’s capital – Rapid and Austria Vienna.
Ahead of their meeting with Celtic tonight, we examined their rise to the top of Austrian football, and how they’ve sustained it despite an inferior budget.
Celtic’s opponents Sturm Graz examined
Sturm’s home stadium holds just 15,400 spectators, and they had won just three league titles prior to 2024.
They successfully turned things around with the execution of an aggressive player trading model, as well as a clear and consistent playing style.
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Their title-winning manager, Christian Ilizer, joined the club after over a decade of working his way up through the Austrian pyramid, having never played professionally.
The side played with a distinctive midfield diamond, something rarely seen in the modern game. Jon Gorenc Stankovic and Otar Kiteishvilli, who will both be involved at Celtic Park tonight, have been an integral part of their rise to the top.
When Ilizer departed for Hoffenheim a year ago having won the title in 2024, reserve manager Jürgen Säumel took over and kept the same system – and crucially, the same success.
They have put up a masterclass in buying low and selling high – especially with strikers. Mika Biereth and Rasmus Hojlund both spent less than a year at Sturm before being sold at a profit – the former moved to Austria after six months at Motherwell.
Danish striker William Boving was sold to Mainz this summer, having been linked to Celtic. Emmanuel Emegha, whom they sold to Strasbourg, is joining Chelsea next year.
Scottish defender Max Johnston, who was brought to Sturm from Motherwell, has also played a part in their success. After breaking into Steve Clarke’s senior setup, he joined Derby County in the recent transfer window.
Sturm Graz’s ex-sporting director on their success
Before moving with Ilizer to Hoffenheim, Andreas Schicker worked as sporting director at Sturm, having bounced around the Austrian league as a player.
Speaking to BBC Sport last year, he discussed their strategy around player recruitment.
Shicker said: “The idea was to have success on the pitch with a team that is built around a few more experienced leaders who are surrounded by young, talented players who we want to develop, who can get ready for the next step in their career at Sturm and who we can sell for profit.
“One of our strengths is that when we scout a player, we have a really clear and defined profile for every single position that the player has to match in order to work out in our philosophy and style of football.
“That gives us an advantage in closing in on players who we are interested in, because the pool of possible targets narrows a lot.”
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