Sturm against Bruges

The “Blacks” are hard to beat in Klagenfurt

Once again, the Wörthersee Stadium will be a black and white fortress.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Sturm's comeback in the Champions League on home soil will take place in the Wörthersee Stadium of all places. Nothing can really go wrong here. After all, the former EURO temple is a real oasis of well-being for the double winners. 

The record at the alternative stadium for the premier class home games is almost spotless: Sturm have only lost a single match there since March 2009. This one stain dates back to 2021: Back then, they had to switch to Klagenfurt for the Cup semi-final (due to the desolate pitch in Liebenau) and lost 4-0 to Salzburg But otherwise? Only successes, whether in the championship, the cup or the Champions League qualifiers.

Because in the latter, Graz have also had to switch to their "favorite stadium" before. Back in 2011, Liebenau was "closed" to Franco Foda's team because matches were being played there during the Football World Cup. Videoton was then defeated 2:0 in the Lindwurmstadt. The team just missed out on the group stage and was knocked out at the final qualifying hurdle.

First strike in 2010
The year before, Sturm won their first title after bankruptcy in the Wörthersee Arena. In the cup final, Foda's team defeated Wr. Neustadt 1:0. The first strike, the second did not follow immediately, but eight years later. In the 2018 Cup final against Salzburg, Carinthian Stefan Hierländer, of all people, sent the 25,000 fans in attendance into a frenzy: "Hierli" scored the golden goal in extra time to strike at the heart of the big favorites.

Sturm celebrated their third Klagenfurt triumph under Christian Ilzer in 2023: The fan magnets Sturm and Rapid in the final, a soccer festival in a class of its own, the fan camps created a goosebump atmosphere. Mani Sarkaria was the acclaimed hero with a brace in the 2:0 win. The last strike was only five months ago: On May 1, Sturm celebrated in the cup final, defeating Rapid again (2:1). Today, the run of success in the feel-good oasis is set to continue against Club Brugge!