In the first leg of the Champions League qualifying play-off round, Celtic will host LASK at Celtic Park in Glasgow 19 August 2026 at 15:00 EDT / 12:00 PDT.
Both clubs entered the tournament directly at this stage and have not yet played a single European match this season. The difference is that the Scottish side are starting qualifying as favourites for the third year in a row and have failed to justify that status for the third year running, while the Austrians arrive as reigning champions of their country, with a settled system and no margin for error in the first leg.
LASK are not travelling to Glasgow in search of a miracle. A year ago, Dietmar Kühbauer built a team that won the Austrian title for the first time since 1965, and did so through its defence. The central-defensive trio of João Victor Tornich, Xavier Mbuyamba and Andrés Andrade has been retained in full.
The flanks are another major strength. Kasper Jørgensen on the right and George Bello on the left are considered the best wing-back pairing in the Austrian league. Celtic build their attacks around crosses and cut-backs, and this is exactly the kind of defensive approach needed against the Scots.
LASK are up to speed. They won 2:0 away at Austria, then beat Ried 4:1, despite playing the final 15 minutes with 10 men after a red card. However, Saša Kalajdžić and Modou Kéba Cissé left in the summer, making it noticeably harder for the Austrians to score.
Celtic have three wins at the start, but we need to look at the opponents. Kilmarnock and Dundee United opened up and were punished heavily. Dundee, who sat deep, were edged out by the Scots only just: 1:0, with Benjamin Nygren scoring the only goal after the break.
Martin O'Neill has been given a permanent contract, but his Celtic side are all possession without the final touch. At the same stage a year ago, they drew 0:0 with Kairat twice and went out on penalties.
The first leg of a two-legged tie means the visitors are naturally playing for a draw. Kühbauer will cede possession, sit in a low block and wait for the pace of Moses Usor and Samuel Adeniran. Celtic will run into this wall and will not find a second goal.
Sandro Scharer (Switzerland)
Matches — 7 (international matches, 2025-2026);
Average fouls per match — 22;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) — 6.4;
Matches with red cards — 1 out of 7;
Matches with penalties — 5 out of 7.
|
Martin O'Neill
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Viljami Kari Veikko Sinisalo
|
gk. | 1 | 0 |
|
Auston Levi-Jesaiah Trusty
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Cameron Robert Carter-Vickers
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Colby Donovan
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Kieran Tierney
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Callum William McGregor
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Mika Joel Baur
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Camilo Andres Durán Marquez
|
fw. | 1 | 2 |
|
Erik Benjamin Nygren
|
fw. | 1 | 1 |
|
Hyun-Jun Yang
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Kasper Waarts Thenza Høgh
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Ross Doohan
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Anthony Ralston
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Liam Scales
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Dane Murray
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Reo Hatate
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
James Forrest
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Luke McCowan
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Haissem Yousry Fouad Hassan
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Sebastian Tounekti
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Callum James Osmand
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Johnny Kenny
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Michel-Ange Sumaï N'Koyi Limpata Balikwisha
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Dietmar Kühbauer
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Lukas Jungwirth
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Andrés Alberto Andrade Cedeño
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
George Oluwaseun Bello
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
João Victor Tornich
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Kasper Poul Mølgaard Jørgensen
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Xavier Tshimanga Kamaluba Ntite Mukendi Mpoy Mbuyamba
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Robert Ljubičić
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Kryštof Daněk
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Sascha Horvath
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Moses Usor
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Samuel Oluwabukunmi Adeniran
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Fabian Schillinger
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tobias Schützenauer
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Junior Yvan Nyabeye Dibango
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Manoël Louis-Philippe Verhaeghe
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Melayro Chakewno Jalaino Bogarde
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Miguel Freckleton
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alessandro André Schöpf
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Art Smakaj
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Christoph Lang
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Florian Flecker
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Celtic
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
PSG
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6:1 | 3 |
|
2
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:0 | 3 |
|
3
|
Barcelona
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:1 | 3 |
|
4
|
Manchester United
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:0 | 3 |
|
5
|
Como
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:1 | 3 |
|
6
|
Sporting CP
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
7
|
Stuttgart
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
8
|
Manchester City
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
|
9
|
Aston Villa
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
10
|
Lens
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
11
|
Real Betis
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
12
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
13
|
Liverpool
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
14
|
Real Madrid
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
15
|
Arsenal
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
16
|
AEK Athens
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
17
|
AS Roma
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
18
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
19
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
20
|
PSV
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
21
|
Villarreal
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
22
|
Brugge
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
23
|
Lille
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
24
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
25
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
26
|
Inter Milan
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
27
|
LASK Linz
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
28
|
Napoli
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
29
|
Galatasaray
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
30
|
Viking
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
31
|
Porto
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:2 | 0 |
|
32
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:4 | 0 |
|
33
|
Feyenoord
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:5 | 0 |
|
34
|
FK Sabah
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:4 | 0 |
|
35
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
36
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:5 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
PSG
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6:1 | 3 |
|
2
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:0 | 3 |
|
3
|
Barcelona
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:1 | 3 |
|
4
|
Manchester United
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:0 | 3 |
|
5
|
Como
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:1 | 3 |
|
6
|
Sporting CP
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
7
|
Stuttgart
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
8
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
9
|
Liverpool
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
10
|
Real Madrid
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:1 | 3 |
|
11
|
AEK Athens
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
12
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
13
|
PSV
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
14
|
Manchester City
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
15
|
Aston Villa
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
16
|
Lens
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
17
|
Real Betis
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
18
|
Arsenal
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
19
|
AS Roma
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
20
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
21
|
Villarreal
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
22
|
Brugge
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
23
|
Lille
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
24
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
25
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
26
|
Inter Milan
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
27
|
LASK Linz
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
28
|
Napoli
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
29
|
Galatasaray
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
30
|
Viking
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
31
|
Porto
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:2 | 0 |
|
32
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
33
|
Feyenoord
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
34
|
FK Sabah
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
35
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
36
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Manchester City
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
|
2
|
Aston Villa
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
3
|
Lens
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
4
|
Real Betis
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
5
|
Arsenal
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
6
|
AS Roma
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
7
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
8
|
PSG
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
9
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
10
|
Barcelona
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
11
|
Manchester United
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
12
|
Como
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
13
|
Sporting CP
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
14
|
Stuttgart
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
15
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
16
|
Liverpool
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
17
|
Real Madrid
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
18
|
AEK Athens
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
19
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
20
|
PSV
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
21
|
Villarreal
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
22
|
Brugge
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
23
|
Lille
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
24
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
25
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
26
|
Inter Milan
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
27
|
LASK Linz
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
|
28
|
Napoli
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
29
|
Galatasaray
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
30
|
Viking
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
31
|
Porto
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
|
32
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:4 | 0 |
|
33
|
Feyenoord
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:5 | 0 |
|
34
|
FK Sabah
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:4 | 0 |
|
35
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
36
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:5 | 0 |
