Overview
LASK Linz is facing a difficult task when they have to find a way to reverse the 0-3 defeat to Celtic in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs. Although creating more chances and possessing a higher expected goal index than the opponent, the Austrian representative still could not convert the advantage on the field into goals.
Coach Dietmar Kuhbauer's team started the new season very well. LASK won all 4 opening matches in all competitions, including a 7-0 victory over SC Kalsdorf in the OFB Cup. They continued to defeat Grazer AK 1902 with a score of 3-0, Austria Wien 2-0 and SV Ried 4-1.
That impressive streak made the defeat at Celtic Park even more regrettable. LASK launched up to 20 shots, created 2 clear chances and put the ball into the net twice but both were disallowed. Their xG index also reached 1.58, higher than Celtic's 0.93.
These statistics are the basis for LASK to believe that the 3-goal gap does not fully reflect the diễn biến of the first leg. However, having to score at least 3 goals without being allowed to make more mistakes makes the home field task very difficult.
LASK's most significant advantage is their home form. Kuhbauer's team is unbeaten in their last 8 official home matches. However, their performance in the European arena is not positive as they have not won in their last 5 home matches in UEFA tournaments.
Meanwhile, Celtic entered the second leg with a completely different mentality. The 3-0 victory in the first leg helped the Scottish representative have a great advantage in the race to win a ticket to the Champions League group stage.
Notably, Celtic won despite having a lower xG index than LASK. Benjamin Nygren and Camilo Duran, who scored a double, took very good advantage of the opportunities to create a safe gap. All 3 goals came from quality shots into the top corner of the goal.
Celtic is also maintaining a winning streak since the 2026-2027 season began. The reigning Scottish champions successively defeated Dundee 1-0, Kilmarnock 5-1 in the domestic league and Dundee United 4-0 in the Scottish League Cup, before overcoming LASK.
Form and the 3-goal advantage help Celtic take a big advantage before the second leg. However, coach O'Neill still has to be cautious because LASK is having good home record and has shown the ability to create many chances in the first leg.
Celtic will aim to preserve the advantage to win the right to enter the Champions League group stage, where they have never participated since the 2024-2025 season. Meanwhile, LASK needs an almost perfect performance at home if they want to turn this confrontation into a memorable comeback.
Expected lineup:
LASK Linz: Jungwirth, Mbuyamba, Alemao, Andrade, Jorgensen, Danek, Ljubicic, Horvath, Bello, Usor, Adeniran.
Sinisalo, Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Tierney, Nygren, McGregor, Baur, Duran, Hogh, Hyun-Jun.
The match between LASK Linz and Celtic takes place at 2:00 AM on August 26 (Vietnam time).
