LASK Linz vs Celtic - prediction, team news, lineups

LASK Linz volition invited Celtic to Raiffeisen Arena connected Tuesday nighttime for their 2nd limb gathering successful the Champions League playoff qualifying round. 

The hosts person a upland to ascent aft the archetypal limb astatine Celtic Park, successful which Tuesday's visitors recorded a 3-0 victory.

Match preview

LASK Linz enjoyed a stunning extremity to the 2025-26 season, winning six, drafting 2 and losing lone 1 of their 9 post-split matches successful the Austrian Bundesliga, starring them to a first-placed finish. 

By winning the Austrian Bundesliga rubric for conscionable the 2nd clip successful their history, LASK Linz booked their spot straight successful the playoff qualifying circular for the 2026-27 Champions League. 

Dietmar Kuhbauer's broadside would person gone into their archetypal limb clash with Celtic successful a assured mood, having started the caller run with 4 wins from 4 games. 

LASK comfortably dispatched SC Kalsdorf 7-0 successful the OFB Cup archetypal round, earlier pursuing that up with 3-0, 2-0 and 4-1 wins implicit Grazer AK 1902, FK Austria Wien and SV Ried respectively successful their opening 3 league fixtures.

However, the Black-Whites failed to proceed that momentum astatine Celtic Park, suffering a miserable 3-0 defeat, leaving LASK with a upland to ascent arsenic they instrumentality to their location crushed for this 2nd leg. 

LASK volition look to gully assurance from aspects of their show successful the archetypal leg, including registering 20 shots, 2 large chances, 2 narrowly offside goals and a higher expected goals (xG) than Celtic, with 1.58xG to 0.93xG. 

Kuhbauer's broadside volition besides beryllium boosted by having the location advantage, wherever they are unbeaten successful their past 8 competitory fixtures, though they person failed to triumph immoderate of their past 5 location matches successful European competition.

Celtic, meanwhile, are firmly successful the driving spot coming into this 2nd limb acknowledgment to their fantastic 3-0 first-leg triumph.

Despite registering a little xG total, 3 stunning strikes earned Celtic the victory, with Benjamin Nygren and Camilo Duran, who scored twice, each uncovering the apical country from successful and astir the borderline of the box.

That triumph extended Celtic's 100% grounds astatine the commencement of the 2026-27 season, with the Bhoys emerging victorious successful each of their 4 matches crossed each competitions. 

The reigning Scottish Premiership champions person defeated Dundee 1-0 and Kilmarnock 5-1 successful the league, arsenic good arsenic beating Dundee United 4-0 successful the 2nd circular of the Scottish League Cup. 

Despite their important vantage and superb signifier coming into this encounter, O'Neill volition beryllium alert of the menace posed by LASK and volition beryllium anxious for his broadside to clasp their pb and publication their spot successful the Champions League league signifier for the archetypal clip since 2024-25.

LASK Linz Champions League form:

LASK Linz signifier (all competitions):

Celtic Champions League form:

Celtic signifier (all competitions):

Team News

LASK Linz person nary caller wounded concerns for Tuesday's gathering with Celtic, though they volition stay without the availability of guardant Ramiz Harakate owed to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Despite suffering a 3-0 decision successful the archetypal leg, LASK Linz created respective chances and caused Celtic problems passim the match, and Kuhbauer whitethorn opt to sanction a akin broadside connected Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Celtic stay without Jota owed to a cruciate ligament injury, but the remainder of the squad should beryllium acceptable for selection. 

First-leg goalscorers Duran and Nygren volition anticipation to marque the quality erstwhile again connected Tuesday, and they should beryllium joined by Kasper Hogh and Yang Hyun-Jun successful guardant areas.

LASK Linz imaginable starting lineup:

Jungwirth; Mbuyamba, Alemao, Andrade; Jorgensen, Danek, Ljubicic, Horvath, Bello; Usor, Adeniran

Celtic imaginable starting lineup:

Sinisalo; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Tierney; Nygren, McGregor, Baur; Duran, Hogh, Hyun-Jun

We say: LASK Linz 2-2 Celtic

LASK Linz volition propulsion to get backmost into the match, and though we expect the hosts to breach Celtic's extremity this clip around, the visitors' attacking firepower should support them successful the crippled and guarantee they advancement arsenic aggregate winners.

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