What's happened
Celtic faces LASK in a two-legged Europa League play-off-style path for a place in the Champions League groups. First legs are scheduled for Aug. 18-19 with the return a week later. LASK won the Austrian Bundesliga last season and has a track record against Scottish sides; Celtic aims to advance after last season’s exit at this stage.
What's behind the headline?
The storyline
- Celtic has drawn LASK in the Champions League playoff path, with the winner advancing to the group stage. This marks a test against a club that described its league triumph as a 'fairytale' and is managed by Dietmar Kuhbauer.
What this means for Celtic
- The first leg at Celtic Park will be on Aug 18-19, with the return in Linz the following week. A win would keep Celtic on track for the group-stage draw slated for late August.
What to watch
- How Celtic exploits home advantage and how LASK’s recent league form translates to Europe.
How we got here
Celtic was drawn to play LASK after overcoming domestic rounds to reach the playoff stage. LASK claimed the Austrian Bundesliga title last season and ended a long wait for silverware, finishing two points ahead of Sturm Graz and capturing the Austrian Cup. The tie sets the stage for a potential showdown with Celtic hoping to reach the group stage.
Our analysis
AP News: Bodø/Glimt vs Union SG context; Independent: Celtic vs LASK draw details; The Scotsman: LASK background and potential fixtures; both The Scotsman and Independent provide context on LASK’s domestic success and past European ties. Direct quotes emphasize the ‘fairytale’ win and Kuhbauer’s reflection.
Go deeper
- Will Celtic win the playoff to reach the Champions League group stage?
- How will LASK’s league success translate to European competition?
- What are the potential playoff pairings if Celtic advances?
More on these topics
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LASK Linz - Football club
Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub, commonly known as Linzer ASK or simply LASK, is an Austrian association football club, from the Upper-Austrian state capital Linz.
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St Johnstone F.C. - Football club
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Scotland. The name of the football club derives from St. John's Toun – the old name of Perth.
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UEFA Champions League - Football competition
The UEFA Champions League is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a group and knockout format.
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Celtic F.C. - Football club
The Celtic Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigrant Irish population in the East End of Glasgow.
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Greece - Country in the Balkans
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, known also as Hellas, is a country located in Southeast Europe. Its population is approximately 10.7 million as of 2018; Athens, the nation's capital, is its largest city, followed by Thessaloniki.
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Austria - Country in Europe
Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked East Alpine country in the southern part of Central Europe. It is composed of nine federated states, one of which is Vienna, Austria's capital and its largest city.
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Lyon - Football club
Olympique Lyonnais, commonly referred to as simply Lyon or OL, is a French professional football club based in Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, it plays in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was established in 1950.
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Red Star Belgrade - Serbian association football club
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, IPA: [fûdbalskiː klûːb tsř̩ʋenaː zʋěːzda]; English: Red Star Football Club), which translates into English as simply Red Star (Serbian: Цр