The UEFA Champions League second qualifying round action continues with the first-leg match between SK Sturm Graz and Heart of Midlothian at Merkur Arena on Tuesday. The second leg will take place at Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Tuesday, 28 July.

Sturm Graz finished second in the Austrian Bundesliga, two points behind LASK, with 37 points from 32 matches. That placement allowed Die Schwoazn to secure a spot directly in the second qualifying round for the Champions League.

Sturm have been playing friendly matches to prepare for the next domestic league season, beating Pogon 1-0 in their most recent match on Wednesday thanks to a goal from Axel Kayombo.

Meanwhile, Hearts had a stunning domestic season in 2025-26, coming close to winning the Scottish title, and they have earned their spot in the Champions League qualifiers for the first time in 20 years.

They were runners-up in the Scottish Premiership following a Dramatic final-day loss to reigning champions Celtic. Hearts beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in a friendly match at Tynecastle Park on Friday, with a double from Jam Tarts' striker Amadou Ba-Sy canceling out Sergio Camello's goal.

The winners of this tie will move on to the third round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, while the losers will be transferred into the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.

If Hearts beat Sturm Graz, they will be unseeded and face either Lyon, Bodo/Glimt, Olympiacos, or the winner of Fenerbahce vs Gornik Zabrze in the next round of Champions League qualifying.

Sturm Graz are expected to leverage home advantage and their technical midfielders to control possession. Hearts are likely to remain compact at the back while looking to use the pace of their attackers to threaten on the counterattack.

We expect this to be a tight match, with Sturm Graz securing a narrow win due to their home advantage.

Prediction: Sturm Graz 2-1 Hearts

Tip 1: Sturm Graz to win

Tip 2: Both teams to score

Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals

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