Overview
Celtic enters the Champions League play-offs with the goal of winning a ticket back to the group stage after missing out last season. Their opponent, LASK, is also having an impressive start and promises to create a big challenge.
Celtic khép lại mùa giải 2025-2026 theo cách đầy ấn tượng. Martin O'Neill's team won the Scottish Premiership championship in the final round after a 3-1 victory over Hearts.
The pre-season period was not really favorable when Celtic only drew 3 and lost 1 in 4 friendly matches. However, they quickly regained their form when the season officially started.
Celtic respectively defeated Dundee 1-0 and Kilmarnock 5-1 in the Scottish Premiership, before overcoming Dundee United 4-0 in the second round of the Scottish League Cup. The latest victory helps them have positive preparation before the first leg against LASK in the Champions League.
Celtic's goal is to advance to the Champions League group stage after losing to Kairat Almaty in the play-offs last season. That experience is certainly still valuable for the Scottish team. Especially when they have to face a national champion who is in high form.
LASK also just experienced a historic season when they won the Austrian Bundesliga championship for the first time since the 1964-1965 season. Dietmar Kuhbauer's team finished the race with a gap of only 2 points but still qualified for the Champions League qualifiers.
If Celtic has only had 3 official matches and won all, LASK is even more impressive with a record of 4 wins in the first 4 matches of the season. Notably, they scored 16 goals and conceded only once.
The 7-0 victories against SC Kalsdorf and 4-1 against SV Ried show the admirable attacking power of the Austrian representative. However, experience in the Champions League is still a point Celtic can exploit.
The last time LASK participated in the league qualifiers was in the 2019-2020 season, when they were eliminated by Club Brugge with a total score of 1-3. Meanwhile, Celtic regularly participates in European cups and is aiming to return to the biggest club-level stage.
Personnel situation
Celtic continues to be short of Jota as this midfielder is still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is also unable to participate due to suspension.
The Scottish team has scored 10 goals in the first 3 official matches of the season. Two new signings Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran both left their mark with 3 and 1 goals respectively.
Coach Martin O'Neill may adjust the squad when the midfield force is lacking. Celtic is likely to switch to a 3-defender formation, with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales taking on defensive duties.
On LASK's side, Art Smakaj and Ramiz Harakate continue to be absent due to injuries. Samuel Adeniran is in high form with 5 goals after 4 appearances this season, while Moses Usor also scored 2 goals in the last 2 matches. This duo is expected to continue to lead the away team's attack.
Expected lineup:
Celtic: Sinisalo, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Scales, Ralston, McGregor, Nygren, Tierney, Duran, Hogh, Tounekti.
LASK: Jungwirth, Mbuyamba, Alemao, Andrade, Jorgensen, Ljubicic, Bogarde, Horvath, Bello, Adeniran, Usor.
The match between Celtic and LASK takes place at 2:00 AM on August 20 (Vietnam time).
