Celtic FC - LASK tickets for the Champions League qualifying play-off clash at Celtic Park in Glasgow

Celtic FC - LASK: the first 90 minutes of the battle for the league of the best

Celtic FC and LASK meet at Celtic Park in Glasgow in the first leg of the final Champions League qualifying play-off. Kick-off is on August 19 at 20:00 local time, while the return leg will be played on August 25 in Linz. Celtic want to make use of home advantage before travelling to Austria, while LASK are trying to carry their excellent early form into the toughest test of the season.

Both teams enter the contest as the reigning champions of their countries. Celtic opened the Scottish league season with two victories and, after two rounds, sit top with six points and a +5 goal difference. LASK are also top of their league with six points, having scored five goals and conceded none. The Austrian side are also defending the title from the 2025/26 season, in which they also won the domestic cup.

This is the final obstacle before the league phase of the Champions League. Celtic Park will therefore carry a weight that an ordinary league match in August does not have. It is worth securing tickets in good time.

What is at stake for Celtic and what is at stake for LASK

Celtic enter this tie with the clear expectation that the home match must create an advantage. Martin O'Neill's team did not drop a point in the first two league rounds: Dundee were beaten 1:0, followed by a 5:1 away victory at Kilmarnock. Against Dundee, Celtic spent a long time searching for the final pass, while at Kilmarnock the attack looked considerably more direct.

LASK arrive with an even cleaner competitive run. They opened the season with a 7:0 cup victory over SC Kalsdorf, then beat GAK 3:0 and Austria Wien 2:0 in the league. Three competitive matches, three victories and no goals conceded show clearly enough why Celtic cannot treat this tie as a formality.

Last season provides special context for LASK. The club from Linz won the league and cup, while coach Didi Kühbauer retained the core of the team. In the first two league rounds, LASK had enough control to win both at home and away, and in Vienna, after a quieter first half, they found the way to two goals after the break.

Early form before the European encounter

• Celtic: Celtic 1:0 Dundee - goal by Benjamin Nygren.
• Celtic: Kilmarnock 1:5 Celtic - Kasper Høgh three goals, Nygren and Luke McCowan one each.
• LASK: SC Kalsdorf 0:7 LASK - convincing progress in the cup.
• LASK: LASK 3:0 GAK - Samuel Adeniran two goals, Christoph Lang one.
• LASK: Austria Wien 0:2 LASK - Andres Andrade and Moses Usor the scorers.

Both teams still have domestic commitments before their head-to-head meeting, so it would not be wise to lock in the starting line-ups several days in advance. What is already clear is that both entered August on a winning run.

Kasper Høgh gave Celtic what they were looking for

The most important individual story of Celtic's start to the season is Kasper Høgh. The Danish striker scored a hat-trick against Kilmarnock in the first half alone. The second goal came after a combination involving Camilo Durán and Benjamin Nygren, and the third was a header following Durán's cross from the right. That changes the way an opponent has to defend against Celtic.

Høgh's presence in the penalty area gives purpose to runs and crosses from the flanks, especially when Kieran Tierney pushes high on the left. Against Dundee, it was Tierney's cross that found Nygren for the only goal. Against Kilmarnock, Celtic produced 33 shots and 16 attempts on target.

Nygren is also important because he scored in both league victories. Callum McGregor controls the tempo in midfield, while Arne Engels adds extra quality in possession. Competition in attack has also increased with the arrival of Haissem Hassan from Real Oviedo. The Egyptian international can play on either wing and brings one-on-one ability, but his availability for this match needs to be confirmed following the international clearance required for him to play.

LASK have a clear spine: Jungwirth, Horvath and Adeniran

Samuel Adeniran scored two goals and registered an assist in the first two league rounds. Christoph Lang has one league goal, Andres Andrade also has one, while Moses Usor scored in the victory over Austria Wien.

Goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth opened the league season with two clean sheets. In front of him in Vienna, LASK started with Andres Andrade, Joao Tornich and Xavier Mbuyamba as three central defenders. George Bello and Kasper Jörgensen provided width, Sascha Horvath and Robert Ljubicic held the midfield, and Adeniran was the central attacking focal point.

Horvath is particularly important because LASK connect possession with the final pass and set pieces through him. Against Austria Wien, his cross preceded the opening goal. At the same time, LASK do not need constant dominance to be dangerous.

One confirmed long-term absentee is Ramiz Harakate, who injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at the end of July and faces a lengthy rehabilitation. Moses Usor, who had previously suffered meniscus problems, has returned to competitive rhythm and featured in both of the first two league rounds.

Players worth watching

• Kasper Høgh - Celtic's central striker and scorer of a hat-trick against Kilmarnock.
• Benjamin Nygren - scorer in both of Celtic's league victories at the start of the season.
• Samuel Adeniran - two league goals and an assist for LASK after two rounds.
• Sascha Horvath - captain and one of the main focal points of LASK's organisation of play.
• Lukas Jungwirth - two league matches and two clean sheets.

Where the match could be decided

Celtic will try to turn the width of the pitch and the pressure from the home stands into early territorial control. Against Dundee, the team had problems when they could not quickly turn possession into a goal, but against Kilmarnock they showed how much more dangerous they are when Høgh receives quality balls in the penalty area. Tierney's forward runs on the left and Durán's ability to attack the right flank give O'Neill more ways to create an overload.

For LASK, discipline in the first phase of defending is important. Three centre-backs can help against crosses and Høgh's play in the penalty area, but Celtic's high full-backs can force Bello and Jörgensen to spend more time deep in their own half.

On the other hand, transitions may be LASK's clearest route to a goal. Celtic will push more players forward at home. If Horvath and Ljubicic bypass the first wave of pressure, Adeniran can occupy the centre-backs, while Lang, Danek or Usor can attack the space around him.

The first goal therefore carries great tactical value. With the lead, Celtic can continue to press without opening up in panic, while an opening goal for LASK would force the hosts to take greater risks. Since this is only the first of two matches, neither team has any reason to lose its structure because of one poor spell.

Head-to-head history is almost non-existent

Celtic and LASK do not have a rich shared competitive history. One verifiable previous meeting was a friendly in 2014, which Celtic won 5:2. That result now has more historical than sporting value because the squads, coaches and context are completely different.

It is more useful to look at the current identity of the two teams. Celtic are the Scottish champions who opened the new season with six points and have just acquired a highly efficient number nine. LASK are the Austrian champions and cup winners who have yet to concede a goal in their first three competitive appearances of the season.

Celtic Park: a great arena of pressure, but also of logistics

Celtic Park has been Celtic's home since 1892 and is now a stadium with around 60,000 seats. It is located in the eastern part of Glasgow, and the address is Celtic Park, Glasgow G40 3RE. For a visitor arriving for the first time, it is important to know that traffic around the stadium quickly becomes congested before kick-off.

Access to the stadium runs via Celtic Way and the surrounding streets of the East End, so much of the supporters' energy builds even before passing through the entrances. For a European match that decides entry into the league phase, a large number of spectators can be expected to arrive early. Seats in the stands for a match like this are in very high demand, so it is worth securing tickets in good time.

For the most recent home league match against Dundee, the stadium opened at 18:00 for a 19:30 kick-off, meaning 90 minutes before the match. That is a useful guide, but the exact opening time of the gates for LASK should be checked closer to matchday because the schedule for each event may differ.

Getting to Celtic Park

• Train: Dalmarnock and Bridgeton are approximately half a mile from the stadium and are connected to central Glasgow.
• On foot: Celtic Park can be reached from central Glasgow in less than 45 minutes on foot.
• Bus: several services from the city centre stop near Forge Shopping Centre on Gallowgate, approximately one mile from the stadium.
• Car: parking by the stadium is limited, and traffic becomes very heavy immediately before kick-off.
• Bicycle: Celtic Park is approximately a ten-minute bicycle ride from the city centre, and bicycle racks are available by the stadium.

For a traveller without local experience, taking the train to Dalmarnock or Bridgeton is often a simpler option than trying to park immediately next to the stadium. Dalmarnock has step-free access to the platforms, which is useful for visitors with reduced mobility.

With digital tickets, it is useful to save the ticket to a mobile wallet before arriving. Celtic have warned for previous matches that the mobile signal around the stadium may become weaker when large crowds gather. Visitors should also use the entrance indicated on the ticket because additional queues and checks may form for matches with high attendance.

What else needs to be monitored before kick-off

At Celtic, Jota took an important step in his return from a serious injury at the beginning of August and resumed part of his training with the team, although at that point he was not yet in full-contact training. Cameron Carter-Vickers returned during the summer after a long absence caused by an Achilles tendon injury and is once again part of the defensive core.

Martin O'Neill underwent a minor medical procedure at the beginning of August, so Shaun Maloney oversaw preparations and the match against Kilmarnock while the coach recovered. O'Neill remains the head coach, but his status on the touchline for the upcoming matches should be monitored through the latest club information.

For LASK, Harakate remains out for the longer term, while the rest of the core that began the league campaign has so far been playing regularly. It will be particularly important to see whether Kühbauer retains the structure with three central defenders in Glasgow and how he positions Usor, Lang and Danek around Adeniran.

Celtic will have a numerical and vocal advantage in the stands, but LASK come to Glasgow as a team that won the domestic double and opened the new season without conceding a goal in three competitive appearances. For a supporter in the stadium, the details are worth watching: Tierney's high runs, Høgh's movement between the centre-backs, Horvath's distribution and LASK's breakouts after winning the ball.

It is worth securing tickets in good time and arriving early, because the biggest congestion will occur precisely during the period when the stadium begins to fill ahead of one of Celtic's most important home matches of the early part of the season.

Sources:
- Celtic FC - schedule and match information for Celtic FC - LASK, including the kick-off time.
- Celtic FC - reports against Dundee and Kilmarnock and information on Høgh, Nygren and early-season form.
- Celtic FC - information on Hassan, Jota's recovery and Carter-Vickers's return.
- Celtic FC - guide to Celtic Park, transport, parking, capacity and matchday organisation.
- LASK - preview of the tie with Celtic, the 2025/26 title and information about the return leg.
- LASK - reports against GAK, Austria Wien and SC Kalsdorf and current player statistics.
- LASK - medical information on Ramiz Harakate's injury.
- SPFL - Scottish league standings after two rounds.
- Bundesliga.at - Austrian league standings after two rounds.
- ScotRail - information on accessibility at Dalmarnock station.