LASK arrived in Glasgow yesterday looking for their first European win since March 2022. Since then, they have recorded four draws and eight defeats across single campaigns in the Europa and Conference Leagues, while they failed to qualify for Europe last season, or in 2022-23.
They shocked the established norm to take their second Austrian title last term, the first arrived two months after Jock Stein’s appointment as Celtic manager in 1965. That season, Kilmarnock won their only Scottish title, the reverberations in Austria in May were no less significant than had Killie done the same here. A season without European football helped LASK as much as it helped Hearts stage a title attempt in Scotland, but Salzburg and Sturm Graz had poor seasons; both were eliminated from the Europa League at the league stage.
Odds are generous on LASK taking the title again this term; they are joint-third favourites alongside Rapid. They have a degree of stability in their favour. Few of the title winning team have moved on, and they have started the league campaign with three wins, albeit against weak opponents.
Having the second game in Austria gives them a straightforward gameplan for tomorrow. A team who play on the counterattack in domestic football are unlikely to press Celtic too high tomorrow.
They will play for corner kicks, throw-ins and free kicks anywhere inside the Celtic half. Push men forward on these occasions and see how we cope with a physical challenge. Their job tomorrow is to get the tie back to Linz alive and hope to intimidate Celtic there.
Although this will be LASK’s most difficult game of the season so far, the same is true of Celtic. Hearts were humbled 6-0 on aggregate in Champions League qualification by Sturm Graz, providing an arresting comparison between Austrian and Scottish football standards. Celtic start favourites to progress, but as we know to our cost, that is not a reliable indicator of the outcome.
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I’m happy with our signings so far but still think Nicholson has failed to deliver defensive minded players. What is the delay? We’ve had months to plan and get players in. Another huge gamble on 45m. Why doesn’t the board do their job??
‘Rapscallions’ is an excellent word and it’s continued use should be encouarged
https://x.com/ScotlandSky/status/2089734489874256079?s=20
“Disappointing” to lose Engels for qualifiers
🇧🇪 Belgian midfielder “hard to replace”
📝 Unlikely to add to European squad before LASK
🏆 Libson Lions “set the bar”
Hear from Celtic manager Martin O’Neill ahead of facing LASK for a spot in the Champions League ⤵️
Arne Engles wanted to go, he did not want to play in the Champions league games
IMO Arne was looking at his colleague Alistair Johnston losing out on his money spinner transfer due to injury, this was Arnes second chance and like Daizen he was taking the route to the richest leagues in the world
MO’N referring to the role that Arne was doing in midfield, mainly his running power complementing captain fantastic role of dictating play, sadly it appears we have not replaced Arne, IMO I think the Ox with his experience was signed as a temp back up for the C/L that is now been blown up due to a lack of due diligence not carrying out a simple check with EUFA
Team for tomorrow will pick itself bar who partners Captain fantastic, McCowan or Bauer
Sinisalo
Dononvan CCV Trusty Tierney
McGregor ???? Nygren
Duran Hogh Yang
stebhoy on 18th August 2026 5:00 pm
I’m happy with our signings so far but still think Nicholson has failed to deliver defensive minded players. What is the delay? We’ve had months to plan and get players in. Another huge gamble on 45m. Why doesn’t the board do their job??
*mibbees nae defensive mids want tae come, nothing to do with the Board as this time it seems that DD is on board, nae pun intended, with them
A few on here and in the media like Sutton have criticised Celtic for selling Engels before the CL games.
The fact is Engels didn’t want to play abd risk injury and MoN understood why and accepted it. You only have to look at AJ and Chermiti to understand injury is a real possibility and a risk to both the player, the selling club and the buying club.
For tomorrow, as always in Europe, I suggest we play 442 but, as always, we will play 433. Usually results in our midfield being stretched too thinly, too many players bombing forward and extremely vulnerable to the counter. On the flip side, we often create plenty of chances so if we take a couple of early ones then we could be sitting pretty for the return.
(apologies for grammatical errors, had a few too many 0.0 lagers and the sun has fried my brain. Eliminate the word “both” and I think it just about makes sense.)
Donovan is NOT in the CL squad, Hatate is his replacement at RB
Engels is also in the squad, as said the Ox is suspended but in the squad
Superb planning by whomever is responsible, not.
Oh and Johnny Kenny is also in the squad
Colby Donovan is also not included on List A, but will still be eligible for selection as he can be included on List B as an under-21 homegrown player. This also applies for reserve goalkeeper Marcus Gill.
Let them scoff and jeer
https://x.com/i/status/2083874660207165922
HH
THE EXILED TIM on 18TH AUGUST 2026 5:51 PM
Donovan is NOT in the CL squad, Hatate is his replacement at RB
Engels is also in the squad, as said the Ox is suspended but in the squad
….
Big Tone is in the squad , is he injured ?
HH
Tactically tomorrow
4-3-3 when we are attacking Yang and Duran wide hugging touchlines to stretch the Austrian defence
Nygren supporting Hogh in penalty box
4-5-1 when we lose possession, with Yang and Duran backtracking supporting fullbacks against overloads
Squeakybum time
Nottingham Forest offered £25m for Engles. We turned it down
We won the SPL and got circa £4.75m.
We have now sold Engles for a Championship record fee circa £22m.
We could not hold on to such a player any longer without creating self harm to our model.
Best wishes Arne .
HH.
Montgomery on his 7th loan ,he’s 24,should have been moved on ages ago
DeniaBhoy on 18th August 2026 5:41 pm
A few on here and in the media like Sutton have criticised Celtic for selling Engels before the CL games. The fact is Engels didn’t want to play and risk injury and MON understood why and accepted it. You only have to look at AJ and Chermiti to understand injury is a real possibility and a risk to both the player, the selling club and the buying club.
*absolutely and if they do get injured we’re left with an unhappy player, nothing to do with wages as the insurance takes care of that, as for the transfer fee, might take a hit depends on how severe the injury is but in the case of Arne, the Hammers increased the fee so they must have wanted him badly even though they neglected to play him on the weekend
I don’t think we knew about the Ox suspension, which could have seen us ejected. Had we known, I think Hatate would have had game time at the weekend. We’ve lost Bernardo and Engles. Throw in Ox and we’re three and a half midfielders down. I think Baur will start. Tierney will make us a lot better defensively, than at the weekend. CCV has looked very good and Trusty has been good in Europe. They look like a team who don’t dominate play and have some big units (dangerous at set pieces). Might be two tight matches and the support have their part to play. p.s. I don’t believe in players being intimidated away from home, against a similar standard team. That should be part of being a Celtic player.
Greenpinata on 18th August 2026 6:12 pm
Nottingham Forest offered £25m for Engles. We turned it down We won the SPL and got circa £4.75m. We have now sold Engles for a Championship record fee circa £22m. We could not hold on to such a player any longer without creating self harm to our model.
*And that’s about the size of it, we are a selling club, always have been since the days of selling the Scottish Cup winner Wullie Buchan for a Scottish transfer fee record, Coronation Cup and first double in 40 years goal scorer Jimmy Walsh to “oh Hampden in the Sun” heroes Willie Fernie and Bobby Collins to pay for the floodlights oh and were desperate to sell our greatest ever goal scorer to pay for the new stand, always will be.
the Bada Bing on 18th August 2026 6:12 pm
Montgomery on his 7th loan ,he’s 24,should have been moved on ages ago.
—–
Rapidly catching up with Paddy Roberts.
HH.
No hostages in Parkhead , two years out of Arne Engels and the fee is a no brainer. Celtic have never kept players overly long.
Started with Pat Crerand back in the 60’s when Man Utd came calling, the fee was a Scottish record 60K
Then not long after a man called Stein rocked up and the rest is history 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪 👍
A bit nervous now for tomorrow after listening to MO’Ns press conference. He talked them up a fair bit, hope it’s mind games
Deniabhoy…
“You only have to look at AJ and Chermiti to understand injury is a real possibility and a risk to both the player, the selling club and the buying club.”
And Matt O’Reily’s debut for Brighton…?
The full presser:
https://youtu.be/20U6WI16GTc?is=FwsyVYt0gwuUlRFJ
BADA BING
Livingston last season, a recurring injury and we took him back from loan early.
Expect it’ll be 18-year-old Landon Emenalo already been to Lennoxtown for a look.
A ‘ wonder kid’ or as the Daily Rancid calls them ‘ an ‘ unknown ‘ .
antearmann@6.03pm
Great link to the article in ‘The Shamrock’ re the 1888 Glasgow Exhibition Trophy.
Might not have won that one but won a few similar competitions in the years ahead.
And as for the actual winners Cowlairs fielding ineligible players in the final, thankfully the authorities cracked down on that kind of behaviour…..
ta for that link dan, i havnt read that before, brilliant.
fielding ineligible players in the final, thankfully the authorities cracked down on that kind of behaviour…..
except they didnt unless you are albion rovers or a junior team.
never forget, every hun bar 1 had an ebt for the 2003 cup final.
EKBhoy
Not a clue i’m afraid
saint stivs
Irony not your thing…..
THE EXILED TIM on 18th August 2026 5:55 pm
Oh and Johnny Kenny is also in the squad
==================
I thought we sold Oh ages ago…………………
Coneybhoy
So we did >:)
CELTICMAC
Cheers for that
Blackburn GK incoming seemingly
LASK V Celtic next Tuesday, live on Prime Video
Blackburn keeper fee mentioned at £4M – hefty fee for us, interesting to see who starts
in goal as a No 1 No 1 ?
Currently watching Dinamo Zagreb v Viking. 2 -2 at the moment.
Fairly high standard of football.
Three forwards in Europe are a luxury in my opinion.
Some game Zagreb v viking 2 2 39minutes gone