Celtic vs LASK – News and Probable Lineups

Celtic host LASK Linz on Wednesday at Celtic Park for the opening leg of their Champions League playoff knockout round match.

The home side has made an impeccable start to the 2026-27 season, claiming three victories in three matches, while the visitors are also enjoying a perfect start to their campaign with four wins from four games.

Match overview

Celtic had a spectacular conclusion to the inconsistent 2025-26 season, securing the Scottish Premiership title on the last day with a 3-1 victory over rival Hearts, followed by a 3-1 win against Dunfermline to capture the Scottish FA Cup.

Despite the momentum gained, Martin O’Neill’s team struggled to maintain that form during pre-season, recording one loss and three draws in four friendlies. However, Celtic has returned to winning ways at the start of this new campaign.

The Bhoys opened the Scottish Premiership term with a tight 1-0 victory over Dundee and crushed Kilmarnock 5-1, followed by a 4-1 win against Dundee United in the second round of the Scottish League Cup.

As they enter the Champions League qualifiers, Celtic will be looking to continue their perfect start and move closer to re-entering the league phase of Europe’s premier tournament, having disappointingly missed out in 2025-26 after being eliminated by Kairat Almaty in the playoff round.

Nevertheless, Celtic is anticipated to encounter a tough challenge in securing their place in the league phase, as LASK also heads into this matchup in remarkable form.

LASK also claimed their league title last season, winning their first Austrian Bundesliga trophy since the 1964-65 season, finishing just two points ahead in the standings, thus qualifying for this stage of the Champions League qualifiers.

Following a mixed pre-season that saw them win three and lose three, Dietmar Kuhbauer’s side has also started the 2026-27 season flawlessly, winning all four of their matches across competitions.

LASK has been particularly noteworthy in attack, netting 16 goals across their four games, including impressive 7-0 and 4-1 victories against SC Kalsdorf and SV Ried, while only conceding once during that stretch.

However, LASK holds significantly less European experience heading into this match, having last competed in the Champions League qualifiers in the 2019-20 season, where they were eliminated by Club Brugge with a 3-1 aggregate score in the fourth qualifying round.

Team News

Celtic will be without winger Jota as he continues his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will also miss out due to suspension.

The Bhoys have managed to score 10 goals in their first three matches of the season, with new arrivals Kasper Hogh (three goals) and Camilo Duran (one goal) already making significant contributions at Celtic Park and are expected to remain in the starting team for this match.

However, O’Neill may need to adjust the formation further back, as limited options in midfield could push the manager to adopt a three-man defence, with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Liam Scales likely to start in defence.

On the other hand, LASK will be without Art Smakaj and Ramiz Harakate due to ongoing injury issues.

Striker Samuel Adeniran has already netted five goals in four appearances this season and should continue his attacking partnership with Moses Usor, who has scored two goals in his last two games.

Celtic probable starting XI:

Sinisalo; Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Scales; Ralston, McGregor, Nygren, Tierney; Duran, Hogh, Tounekti

LASK Linz probable starting XI:

Jungwirth; Mbumba, Alma, Andrew; Jorgensen, Ljubicic, Bogarde, Horvath, Bello; Adheran, Usor

Both teams are experiencing excellent beginnings to their new season, having shown their offensive prowess, leading to expectations of a high-scoring match between the two sides.

However, given Celtic’s home advantage, where they have won their past seven competitive matches, we anticipate the hosts to secure a victory in the first leg.