LASK vs Celtic - Match preview and team news

Date: Tuesday, 25th August.

Kick-off: 8pm BST.

Venue: Raiffeisen Arena, Linz.

LASK team news

LASK Linz faces a monumental task to overturn their three-goal deficit but takes comfort in a highly stable squad situation ahead of the return leg at the Raiffeisen Arena.

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Manager Dietmar Kuhbauer reported no fresh injury concerns following their physical first-leg encounter at Celtic Park, allowing him to field his strongest possible core.

The Austrian side's only major squad absence is forward Ramiz Harakaté, who remains completely sidelined for the foreseeable future due to an ACL tear.

Kuhbauer is widely expected to stick with his structured 3-5-2 system, utilizing a back three of Xavier Mbuyamba, Alemão, and Andrés Andrade to stifle Celtic's wingers.

However, team sources indicate LASK will adopt an aggressive tactical shift in the second half, bringing on extra attacking options if they need to chase quick goals.

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Celtic team news

Manager Martin O'Neill faces late selection headaches. Center-back Auston Trusty missed the final training session due to a stomach illness, meaning Liam Scales is on standby to anchor the defense alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The Hoops are stretched thin at full-back, with regular right-back Alistair Johnston ruled out until October following a hamstring injury.

Colby Donovan is prepared to step up again in his place. In midfield and attack, Celtic must navigate the match without the suspended Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Portuguese winger Jota remains a long-term absentee as he continues his recovery from a severe cruciate ligament injury.

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Viljami Sinisalo is tipped to start in goal, protected by a makeshift backline featuring Kieran Tierney.

Form

LASK

LASK Linz enters this fixture in dominant domestic form, having won all four of their competitive domestic matches. In the Austrian Bundesliga, they cruised to three consecutive victories—beating Grazer AK 3-0, Austria Wien 2-0, and SV Ried 4-1—alongside a resounding 7-0 win in the Austrian Cup. However, their perfect start to the season was halted by a heavy 3-0 first-leg defeat against Celtic in Glasgow.

Celtic

Celtic FC boasts a flawless start to their competitive campaign under Martin O'Neill, winning all four of their matches while scoring 13 goals and conceding just once. Their recent results include domestic wins over Dundee FC (1-0) and Kilmarnock (5-1) in the Premiership, a 4-0 thrashing of Dundee United in the League Cup, and a commanding 3-0 victory over LASK in their first-leg tie.

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Predicted lineups

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

Celtic: Sinisalo; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; Nygren, McGregor, Baur; Duran, Hogh, Hyun-Jun

How to watch LASK vs Celtic?

The UEFA Champions League play-off second leg between LASK Linz and Celtic will be broadcast live exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

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