LASK vs Celtic: Champions League Play-off Preview

Tuesday night in Linz carries a simple equation for LASK: score early, score often, or watch the Champions League dream evaporate.

Three goals down from a bruising first leg at Celtic Park, Dietmar Kühbauer’s side walk into the Raiffeisen Arena knowing the task is huge. The one thing they don’t have to worry about is bodies. Their squad is settled, fit, and ready.

Almost.

Ramiz Harakaté remains the glaring absentee, the forward still out long term with an ACL tear and nowhere near a return. Beyond that, Kühbauer has no fresh injuries from Glasgow, a significant boost after a physical opening encounter that could easily have left scars.

So LASK are expected to go with what they know. The 3-5-2 that underpinned their strong domestic start should stay in place, with Xavier Mbuyamba, Alemão and Andrés Andrade forming the back three tasked with shutting down Celtic’s wide threat. The structure will be familiar, the intent less so.

Because this time, there is no safety net.

If the goals don’t come early, the plan changes. Club sources have indicated that LASK are ready to flip the switch after the break, throwing on extra attacking options and risking space the other way if the aggregate scoreline still looks bleak. It’s not a night for caution; it’s a night for gambles.

Celtic patched up but ruthless so far

Celtic travel to Austria with a three-goal cushion and a perfect start to life under Martin O’Neill, but their preparation has been anything but smooth.

At the back, there’s a late worry. Auston Trusty missed the final training session with a stomach illness, opening the door for Liam Scales to step in alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of the defence. It’s a change O’Neill would rather not have made, especially with his full-back options already stretched.

On the right, Alistair Johnston is out until October after a hamstring injury, leaving Colby Donovan to continue as the stand-in. On the opposite flank, Kieran Tierney’s presence offers both security and attacking thrust, but the overall picture is of a makeshift backline being asked to withstand what should be LASK’s fiercest storm of the season.

Celtic’s problems don’t end there. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is suspended, ruling him out of midfield contention, while Jota remains a long-term absentee as he recovers from a serious cruciate ligament injury. O’Neill must lean again on the depth and balance that has carried them through the opening weeks.

In goal, Viljami Sinisalo is set to start, shielded by that patched-up defence and a midfield built around Callum McGregor’s control. Ahead of them, Nygren, Baur, Duran, Hogh and Hyun-Jun offer enough movement and firepower to punish any Austrian over-commitment.

Form lines: domestic dominance, European reality

LASK’s season began like a statement. Four competitive domestic games, four wins. In the Austrian Bundesliga they swept aside Grazer AK 3-0, Austria Wien 2-0 and SV Ried 4-1, adding a 7-0 hammering in the Austrian Cup for good measure. Goals everywhere, confidence flowing.

Then came Glasgow.

The 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park snapped that perfect run and underlined the difference in tempo and quality at this level. Now, they have to show they can translate domestic swagger into European resilience and, crucially, goals.

Celtic, meanwhile, have been relentless. Four competitive matches, four wins, 13 scored and just one conceded. Dundee FC were edged 1-0, Kilmarnock were swept aside 5-1 in the Premiership, Dundee United were thrashed 4-0 in the League Cup, and LASK themselves were dispatched 3-0 in the first leg.

O’Neill’s side arrive in Linz with rhythm, authority and a commanding advantage. The danger for them is complacency. The danger for LASK is that they have to chase a game against a team that has barely given up a chance all season.

Predicted XIs and tactical fault lines

LASK (3-5-2): Jungwirth; Mbuyamba, Alemao, Andrade; Jorgensen, Danek, Ljubicic, Horvath, Bello; Usor, Adeniran.

Expect that shape to start with discipline, wing-backs Jorgensen and Bello tasked with pinning Celtic back while still protecting the flanks. Ljubicic and Horvath will have to set the tempo in midfield, with Usor and Adeniran carrying the burden of finding that all-important early breakthrough.

Celtic (4-3-3): Sinisalo; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; Nygren, McGregor, Baur; Duran, Hogh, Hyun-Jun.

Celtic’s back four will likely sit a touch deeper than in Glasgow, wary of the space in behind. McGregor’s job is simple and vital: slow the game down when Celtic need control, speed it up when LASK over-commit. With Hogh and Hyun-Jun drifting inside, Tierney and Donovan will have room to surge forward if the tie starts to open up.

Where and when to watch

The UEFA Champions League play-off second leg between LASK Linz and Celtic kicks off at 8pm BST on Tuesday at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz.

In the UK, the game will be shown live and exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

LASK need something extraordinary. Celtic just need to be themselves. Which story wins the night?