For SK Sturm, it is the biggest match of the young season so far. After their convincing progression against Heart of Midlothian, Fenerbahçe now await as an opponent from a different weight class. The Turkish side have strengthened further this summer and are under major pressure to reach the Champions League league phase again after almost two decades. For Sturm, the situation is more comfortable: a European league phase is already secured, now it is about taking the next big step.
Convincing Sturm route past Hearts
Sturm made an impressive start to qualifying. Against Heart of Midlothian, the Graz side laid the foundation for progression in the first leg in Liebenau. The 4-0 win was above all the result of an extremely efficient spell after the break: after Jon Gorenc Stanković’s early opener, Jeyland Mitchell, Luca Weinhandl and Jürgen Heil added further goals within a few minutes.
Sturm also kept things under control in the return leg in Edinburgh. With a 2-0 away win and a 6-0 aggregate score, Fabio Ingolitsch’s team advanced to the third qualifying round. Particularly positive from Sturm’s perspective: against Hearts, they were not only efficient, but also looked mature for long stretches. The team defended compactly, attacked at the right moments and quickly brought structure onto the pitch despite several new faces.
Fenerbahçe had far more trouble. Against Górnik Zabrze, after a 1-0 home win, a 1-1 draw in Poland was enough in the return leg. Overall, “Fener” only progressed narrowly with a 2-1 aggregate win. The favourites got through, but were clearly not yet fully stable.
League opener with missed win
Domestically, Sturm started the new Bundesliga season with a 1-1 draw away to WSG Tirol. Szymon Włodarczyk put the Graz side ahead in the 29th minute, before Olakigbe equalised shortly before half-time. After the break, Sturm pushed for the win, hit the woodwork through JP Hödl and Gizo Mamageishvili, among others, and missed several good chances.
From Sturm’s perspective, the draw was frustrating, but not a step backwards. The performance was solid for long stretches; only efficiency was missing. That will be a central theme in Istanbul: against Fenerbahçe, Sturm will get significantly fewer clear chances than they did in Tirol. When spaces appear, they must be used — otherwise a stronger team may deliver the famous “punishment”.
Fenerbahçe continue to strengthen
Fenerbahçe have once again had plenty of movement in their squad this summer, with the club already investing more than €40 million in new players. The most prominent names are Nathan Aké, who arrived from Manchester City, Vedat Muriqi, who returned to Istanbul, and Mason Greenwood, who was signed from Marseille. Sidiki Chérif and several other squad additions also arrived.
The squad is therefore, as usual, individually very strong. Milan Škriniar leads the defence, 2018 World Cup winner N’Golo Kanté brings experience and ball-winning quality to midfield, while up front there is plenty of power with Muriqi, Greenwood, Talisca and several quick wide players. However, the narrow ties against Górnik already showed that not all new signings have been perfectly integrated yet.
İsmail Kartal signed on as head coach for the 2026/27 season. For him, Champions League qualification is an early key topic, because the club has high international expectations and starts the Süper Lig season only very late.
Kartal warns about Sturm
Kartal spoke respectfully about the opponent before the first leg. The Champions League is “the highest level”, and every match has the character of a final, the Fener coach explained. He described Sturm as a “good team” whose strengths they know. In particular, he highlighted that the Graz side play under their relatively new coach in a different system, are young, hard-running and combative.
At the same time, Kartal made it clear that Fenerbahçe want to win the home match and take an advantage into the return leg. There was good news from the Turkish side in terms of personnel: Vedat Muriqi is expected to be in the squad, and N’Golo Kanté is also available according to the coach. Kartal did not want to decide the goalkeeper question until matchday.
Captain Milan Škriniar also emphasised how important the fans’ support will be. The Slovak said they wanted to make the supporters proud. Speaking about “marquee signing” Nathan Aké, he said in essence that his quality was no surprise to him — and that he helps not only him, but the whole team.
Sturm do not want to be intimidated
Sturm will travel to Istanbul with around 300 fans and know what awaits them at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. Simon Seidl spoke beforehand of a career highlight and a special game in front of almost 50,000 spectators. At the same time, he stressed that the team did not want to be intimidated by the atmosphere.
Fenerbahçe will try to create early pressure, build speed through the wings and force set pieces and crosses. For Sturm, it will be about surviving that early spell, keeping clear distances and playing bravely forward after winning the ball. Sturm cannot afford to sit too deep and become passive in Istanbul.
One advantage: the greater pressure is on the hosts. Fenerbahçe desperately want to reach the Champions League, while Sturm have already secured their sixth consecutive European league-phase participation by progressing against Hearts. If the Graz side fail against Fenerbahçe, they will go directly into the Europa League league phase. If they go through, the winner of Sparta Prague against Olympique Lyon will await in the play-off.
Previous meetings and personnel situation
Sturm and Fenerbahçe already met in Europa League qualifying in 2017. Back then, the Graz side earned a 1-1 draw away from home, but lost 2-1 at home despite taking the lead through the recently retired Stefan Hierländer. The UEFA head-to-head record therefore narrowly favours Fenerbahçe: one win, one draw, 3-2 goals.
Sturm will definitely still be without Amady Camara. The attacking player is out for several weeks with a muscular injury, although he probably would not have played a major role in the team anyway. Otherwise, the key issues are workload management and role distribution after an intense start to the season.
The situation is clear: Fenerbahçe are favourites, but Sturm are by no means without a chance. If the Graz side remain brave, embrace the atmosphere and execute their transition moments cleanly, they can put themselves in a good position for the return leg in Graz.
