LASK Linz vs Celtic preview

Europe flag 2026/2027 Champions League, Europe
Raiffeisen Arena Tue, 25 Aug - 7:00 PM
Champions League
LASK LinzASK
CelticCEL
KICKOFF : Tue, 25 Aug - 7:00 PM
Play-offs Leg 2 of 2

CONTEXT

LASK Linz welcome Celtic to the Raiffeisen Arena for the second leg of their Champions League play-off encounter in the 2026/2027 season. Celtic arrive as the stronger side according to power metrics, boasting an 82.05 rating compared to the home side's 73.39. This gives the visitors an advantage of 8.7 points in overall strength assessment. Both teams share the same form score of 16.67, indicating similar recent performances. The match takes place in an international cup setting where domestic league positions do not apply. Set piece data relies on proxies with low confidence levels for both sides. Celtic's squad depth and experience in European competitions could prove decisive in this high-stakes fixture.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Celtic hold a power advantage of 8.7 points over LASK Linz.
  • Form: Both teams enter with identical form scores of 16.67.
  • Squad: Celtic possess greater squad depth suited to European fixtures.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics remain unavailable for detailed assessment.
  • Transition: Transition play data is limited due to proxy usage.
  • Set pieces: Set piece analysis shows low confidence with proxy data employed.
  • xVariable: Celtic are identified as the stronger team overall.
  • Market: Baseline split: LASK Linz 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Celtic 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
LASK Linz D. Kühbauer
D. Kühbauer
VS
Celtic M. O'Neill
M. O'Neill
1
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1
1 i
Last 6 Opponents
Celtic Rank: 82 D
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1 i
Last 6 Opponents
LASK Linz Rank: 73 D
0
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
0 - 0 - 0
0
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
73.39
82.05
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
LASK Linz
Celtic
Power Score
73.39
82.05
League Position
-
-
Global Rank
173
54

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
LASK Linz — Opponent-weighted form score
Celtic — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) LASK Linz Celtic

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 25, 2026, 07:00 PM
Competition
2026/2027 Champions League, Europe · Play-offs · Leg 2 of 2
Stadium
Raiffeisen Arena
Capacity
19080
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Squad

Squad ▼

33
Tobias Schützenauer
Tobias Schützenauer Goalkeeper
1
Lukas Jungwirth
Lukas Jungwirth Goalkeeper
50
Fabian Schillinger
Fabian Schillinger Goalkeeper
16
Andres Andrade Cedeño
Andres Andrade Cedeño Defender
2
George Bello
George Bello Defender
4
Xavier Mbuyamba
Xavier Mbuyamba Defender
20
Kasper Poul Mølgaard Jørgensen
Kasper Poul Mølgaard Jørgensen Defender
25
Junior Yvan Nyabeye Dibango
Junior Yvan Nyabeye Dibango Defender
43
João Victor Tornich
João Victor Tornich Defender
3
Miguel Freckleton
Miguel Freckleton Defender
21
Manoël Louis-Philippe Verhaeghe
Manoël Louis-Philippe Verhaeghe Defender
52
Cheikne Kébé
Cheikne Kébé Defender
18
Alessandro Schöpf
Alessandro Schöpf Midfielder
30
Sascha Horvath
Sascha Horvath Midfielder
29
Florian Flecker
Florian Flecker Midfielder
10
Robert Ljubicic
Robert Ljubicic Midfielder
6
Melayro Bogarde
Melayro Bogarde Midfielder
9
Kryštof Daněk
Kryštof Daněk Midfielder
27
Christoph Lang
Christoph Lang Midfielder
5
Art Smakaj
Art Smakaj Midfielder
7
Samuel Oluwabukunmi Adeniran
Samuel Oluwabukunmi Adeniran Attacker
22
Ramiz Harakaté
Ramiz Harakaté Attacker
8
Moses Usor
Moses Usor Attacker

Squad ▼

31
Ross Doohan
Ross Doohan Goalkeeper
12
Viljani Sinisalo
Viljani Sinisalo Goalkeeper
20
Cameron Carter-Vickers
Cameron Carter-Vickers Defender
5
Liam Scales
Liam Scales Defender
63
Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney Defender
56
Anthony Ralston
Anthony Ralston Defender
6
Auston Trusty
Auston Trusty Defender
2
Alistair Johnston
Alistair Johnston Defender
47
Dane Murray
Dane Murray Defender
37
Adam Montgomery
Adam Montgomery Defender
51
Colby Donovan
Colby Donovan Defender
21
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Midfielder
42
Callum McGregor
Callum McGregor Midfielder
14
Luke McCowan
Luke McCowan Midfielder
41
Reo Hatate
Reo Hatate Midfielder
8
Benjamin Nygren
Benjamin Nygren Midfielder
22
Mika Baur
Mika Baur Midfielder
7
João Pedro Neves Filipe
João Pedro Neves Filipe Attacker
49
James Forrest
James Forrest Attacker
9
Kasper Waarst Høgh
Kasper Waarst Høgh Attacker
23
Sebastian Tounekti
Sebastian Tounekti Attacker
23
Haissem Hassan
Haissem Hassan Attacker
10
Michel Ange Balikwisha
Michel Ange Balikwisha Attacker
13
Hyun-Jun Yang
Hyun-Jun Yang Attacker
—
Johnny Kenny
Johnny Kenny Attacker
19
Callum Osmand
Callum Osmand Attacker
11
Camilo Andres Durán Marquez
Camilo Andres Durán Marquez Attacker

CONCLUSION

Overall, the structural indicators point toward Celtic holding the stronger pre-match profile. Power rankings give Celtic a 8.7-point edge. Projection probabilities are unavailable or insufficient in the available data for this fixture. The balance of play should hinge on execution in transitions and set-piece phases.