The action continues in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers as Hearts and Sturm Graz go head-to-head at Tynecastle Park in the second leg of their second qualifying round tie on Tuesday. Following their first-leg horror show, the Scottish outfit are facing an uphill battle here as they look to overturn a four-goal deficit.
Hearts’ Champions League qualifying dreams came to an end before it properly took off as they fell to a humbling 4-0 loss against Sturm Graz in the first leg of the second round in Austria.
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Wouter Vrancken’s men secured a place in the UCL qualifiers for the first time since 2006 following a stellar run in the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership campaign, where they finished as runners-up after losing the title to eventual winners Celtic in a thrilling winner-take-all season finale.
Hearts, who head into Tuesday’s tie fresh off the back of a 1-0 friendly win over Raith Rovers, will look to keep the juggernaut rolling ahead of their league curtain-raiser against Aberdeen on August 1.
Meanwhile, Sturm Graz continued from where they left off in the UCL qualifiers in the OFB Cup, as they thrashed Seekirchen 3-0 in the opening round last Friday.
Following their cup triumph, Fabio Ingolitsch’s men have won five consecutive matches, including victories over Kalsdorf, Sanfrecce and Polish outfit Pogon Szczecin in pre-season.
Having finished second in the Austrian Bundesliga championship round table last season, Sturm Graz are aiming for back-to-back Champions League qualification, following their group-stage exit last term.
Hearts vs Sturm Graz Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be just the second encounter between Hearts and Sturm Graz, with the Austrian outfit claiming an emphatic 4-0 victory when they first met in last week’s reverse leg.
- Hearts have won just one of their last five Champions League qualifying matches, while losing three and claiming one draw since July 2006.
- Sturm Graz are on a run of four consecutive competitive victories and are unbeaten in their last 15 matches since a 1-0 loss against WSG Tirol on February 14.
- Hearts have won each of their most recent eight home games across all competitions, a run stretching back to January 17, when they fell to a penalty-shootout defeat against Falkirk in the Scottish Cup fourth round.
Hearts vs Sturm Graz Prediction
Following their first-leg collapse, Hearts know their UCL qualifying journey is all but over and will be playing for pride in front of their home supporters. Sturm Graz’s last competitive defeat came back in February, and we see them forcing a share of the spoils to win the tie on aggregate.
Prediction: Hearts 2-2 Sturm Graz
Hearts vs Sturm Graz Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result – Draw
Tip 2: First to score – Sturm Graz (The visitors have opened the scoring in nine of their last 10 games)
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals – Yes (There have also been at least three goals scored in seven of Sturm’s last eight outings)
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli
