It may only be August, but Celtic's next two matches are, almost inarguably, the most important the club will play all season long. The Scottish champions will face their Austrian counterparts for a place in the Champions League, with this first leg in Glasgow followed by a rematch in Linz next Tuesday.
So, before travelling to Raiffeisen Arena in six night's time, it is vitally important that Martin O'Neill's team establish a first leg advantage at Parkhead.
Celtic vs LASK match info
- Date: Wednesday 19 August 2026.
- Kick off times: 8pm (local).
- Competition: UEFA Champions League play-off round first leg
- Venue: Parkhead - Glasgow, Scotland.
- How to watch: TNT Sports (UK) and CBS Sports (USA).
How can I watch Celtic vs LASK?
This Champions League play-off round fixture is live on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max in the UK.
The fixture is also broadcast by CBS Sports and Paramount+ in the United States, Stan Sport in Australia, DAZN in Canada, Germany, Austria and New Zealand, Movistar+ in Spain, Canal+ in France and Sport TV5 in Portugal.
Celtic vs LASK match preview
Celtic's start to the season has been flawless, but this is where the serious business begins. On Saturday evening, the Hoops cruised through to the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals, demolishing Dundee United 4-0 at Tannadice. Auston Trusty, Camilo Durán, Sebastian Tounekti and Benjamin Nygren all on target, setting up a date in the last eight with Rangers at Ibrox.
That made it three wins out of three for Martin O'Neill's team this season, having began their Premiership title defence with victories over Dundee and then Kilmarnock. Now though, this two legged tie will see the difficulty level exponentially increase.
Fair to say, the Celts have had plenty of trouble negotiating Champions League qualifying in recent times. In fact, the last three times they have featured in the group stages, they've done so as a direct entrant. Thus, the last five times the Hoops have participated in qualifying, they have failed, dumped out on penalties by Kairat 12 months ago, following defeats at the hands of Midtjylland, Ferencváros, CFR Cluj and AEK Athens, as well as Malmö and Maribor prior before this streak. Thus, no Celtic supporter will be under any illusions about the difficulty of the task ahead.
So, just how strong are LASK? Well, last season, die Schwarz-Weißen won their first Austrian Bundesliga title since 1965, having only been runners-up once during this period, also adding the ÖFB-Cup, completing a double in Klagenfurt. Despite this, they have become European regulars.
Since first doing so in 2019, LASK have featured in three Europa League and two Conference League group stages, their best runs being to the round of 16. However, victory in this tie would see them reach the Champions League proper for the very first time, previously ousted in this round by Club Brugge seven years ago.
Like their opponents, Dietmar Kühbauer's team have made a perfect start to their domestic campaign, beating Grazer, Austria Wien and Ried, the latter a 4-1 win on Friday night. Thus, even if they are narrowly beaten in Glasgow, LASK will fancy their chances of getting through in Linz next Tuesday, making this tie so tough to call.
Celtic team news
In a massive blow, Alistair Johnston will be sidelined until the September international break due to a hamstring injury, so youngster Colby Donovan will deputise. Meantime, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is suspended for the next three European games due to a red card he picked up playing for Beşiktaş all the way back in December 2023.
In better news, Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan both came off the bench for their debuts at Tannadice on Saturday, so will either start here? Kieran Tierney was rested, but will return at left-back, while Yang Hyun-jun could displace Sebastian Tounekti on the left-wing, having sat out the weekend win due to a knock.
Lastly, Camilo Durán and Kasper Høgh both scored four Champions League goals last season, looking to fire their new club back there.
LASK team news
LASK have sold star centre-back Modou Kéba Cissé to Aston Villa this summer, while new striker Ramiz Harakaté will not be available, after rupturing his ACL on debut in an ÖFB-Cup tie against Kalsdorf. Manager Dietmar Kühbauer favours a back three, featuring two up front, including Samuel Adeniran, who scored a brace on Friday night.
He is not the only American player in this team, with George Bello, who has seven USMNT caps, the starting left-wing-back. Die Schwarz-Weißen are currently winless in ten European matches, so can they change that here?
Predicted Line-ups
- Celtic predicted lineup: Sinisalo; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney: McGregor, Baur, Nygren; Hassan, Yang Hyun-jun, Høgh.
- LASK predicted lineup: Jungwirth; Andrade, Mbuyamba, Alemão; Jørgensen, Ljubičić, Horvath, Bello; Daněk, Adeniran, Usor.
- Score prediction: Celtic 2-1 LASK.
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