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LASK vs Celtic: A Crucial UEFA Champions League Clash

Three goals down, 90 minutes to fix it. LASK Linz walk into their own stadium knowing exactly what this is: a rescue mission against a Celtic side that has barely put a foot wrong all season.

The numbers are brutal. The mood in Linz is anything but.

LASK: full strength, no margin for error

For Dietmar Kühbauer, the good news comes before a ball is kicked. His squad is intact, his options clear. That bruising first leg at Celtic Park left no fresh casualties, and he can lean on his strongest core for the return under the Raiffeisen Arena floodlights.

There is, however, one glaring absence. Ramiz Harakaté remains out long-term with an ACL tear, a major attacking option wiped from the board just when LASK need goals in a hurry.

Tactically, Kühbauer is not expected to blink. The structured 3-5-2 that has underpinned their domestic surge should stay in place from the first whistle, with a back three of Xavier Mbuyamba, Alemão and Andrés Andrade charged with shutting down Celtic’s wide threats and giving LASK a platform to build.

That’s the plan for the opening act. The second could look very different.

Club sources have indicated LASK are ready to rip up the script after the break if the aggregate scoreline demands it. Extra forwards, more risk, bodies thrown higher up the pitch. If the home side are still chasing quick goals in the second half, this could turn from a chess match into a shootout in a matter of minutes.

Celtic: illness, injuries and a reshuffled back line

Martin O’Neill arrives in Austria with a 3-0 lead and a few unwanted puzzles to solve.

At the heart of his defence, Auston Trusty is a major doubt. The centre-back missed the final training session with a stomach illness, leaving Liam Scales on standby to slot in alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers. It’s hardly ideal timing, but Celtic’s shape and discipline under O’Neill have been rock-solid so far.

The full-back situation is even tighter. First-choice right-back Alistair Johnston is out until October with a hamstring injury, so Colby Donovan is expected to shoulder the responsibility again on that flank. On the opposite side, Kieran Tierney’s presence in a makeshift back line gives Celtic both bite and an outlet.

Higher up the pitch, O’Neill has to juggle key absences. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is suspended, removing an experienced engine from midfield and a creative link into attack. Out wide, Jota remains a long-term absentee as he continues his recovery from a serious cruciate ligament injury, denying Celtic one of their most dangerous one-on-one threats.

In goal, Viljami Sinisalo is set to start, shielded by that patched-together defence. On paper, it looks vulnerable. On current form, it has barely been touched.

Form guide: domestic dominance, European reality check

LASK

At home, LASK have been ruthless. Four competitive domestic games, four wins, 16 goals scored and just one conceded across league and cup.

In the Austrian Bundesliga they’ve rolled through Grazer AK (3-0), Austria Wien (2-0) and SV Ried (4-1), while a 7-0 demolition job in the Austrian Cup underlined their attacking power against weaker opposition.

Then came Glasgow. Celtic 3-0 LASK. A perfect start to the season halted by a brutal reminder of the step up in class at this stage of the UEFA Champions League play-off.

Now they must prove that result was a one-off, not a ceiling.

Celtic

Celtic, under O’Neill, have been close to flawless. Four competitive matches, four wins, 13 goals scored and just one conceded.

They’ve edged Dundee FC 1-0, ripped through Kilmarnock 5-1 in the Premiership, and hammered Dundee United 4-0 in the League Cup. The 3-0 first-leg victory over LASK rounded off a statement opening to the campaign: organised at the back, ruthless when chances appear.

That cushion gives them room to breathe in Linz. It doesn’t guarantee a quiet night.

Predicted lineups

LASK

  • Jungwirth
  • Mbuyamba
  • Alemao
  • Andrade
  • Jorgensen
  • Danek
  • Ljubicic
  • Horvath
  • Bello
  • Usor
  • Adeniran

Celtic

  • Sinisalo
  • Donovan
  • Carter-Vickers
  • Scales
  • Tierney
  • Nygren
  • McGregor
  • Baur
  • Duran
  • Hogh
  • Hyun-Jun

How to watch

The UEFA Champions League play-off second leg between LASK Linz and Celtic will be shown live in the UK, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

One side is chasing history, the other guarding a lead. By 10pm in Linz, we’ll know whether Celtic’s early-season perfection survives its sternest test yet—or if LASK can turn their home cauldron into the stage for an improbable comeback.

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