Champions League Qualifiers: Live Updates

Celtic Glasgow vs. LASK LIVE starting at 9 p.m.

LASK coach Didi Kühbauer (left) will have to come up with a plan to beat Celtic Glasgow, led by captain Callum McGregor (right in the photo).(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/AFP/ANDY BUCHANAN, GEPA, APA-Images / AP / Alikhan Sariyev,)

Last hurdle for LASK! Austria’s champions face Celtic Glasgow in the first leg of the Champions League playoff. We’re covering the game live—see the live updates below. The score is currently 0–0.

Here’s the live ticker:

Their sensational championship title has opened the door for LASK to achieve a historic success. The Linz-based team aims to qualify for the Champions League for the first time and lay the groundwork for that today. Didi Kühbauer’s squad is on the road for the first leg of the playoff against Celtic Glasgow. The Scottish champions can count on 60,000 fans at Celtic Park and are considered slight favorites. The second leg takes place next Tuesday (9:00 p.m.) in Linz.

With clarity surrounding Coach Kühbauer, who has extended his contract through 2029, and plenty of self-confidence, the Linz squad has set off for Glasgow. LASK has gotten off to a perfect start to the Bundesliga season with three wins in three games—and they’ll need that confidence in the face of the impressive atmosphere. “It’s definitely not going to be quiet, but that’s exactly why we play soccer. Every player dreams of international matches; every player dreams of playing in stadiums like this. But dreaming won’t be enough . We have to put those dreams aside and focus on getting a good result there. Celtic will likely try to get the crowd on their side right from the start. We have to get through the first 15 minutes; I’m convinced the guys will manage that,” explained Kühbauer.

A windfall awaits
The Linz-based club wants to make the most of its third chance at the Champions League. In 1965, their run ended against Gornik Zabrze in the qualifying round; in 2019, they were eliminated in the playoff against FC Bruges with an aggregate score of 1–3. The reward would be a windfall unlike anything in the club’s history—the entry fee alone amounts to 18.62 million euros. To succeed, Kühbauer is calling for a courageous performance. “Just defending wouldn’t be the best approach there. We need a balanced performance. We don’t want to play it safe; we need courageous players—we need just a bit more than we’ve shown recently, even though we’ve won all three league games,” emphasized the coach.

The atmosphere, the financial backing—with a squad market value of 116.5 million euros (Transfermarkt.at)—and the international experience all favor the Scots. “Celtic is fundamentally a step above us in terms of potential. That’s why they’re the slight favorites,” said Kühbauer. Celtic is aiming for its 14th appearance in the Champions League. The “Bhoys” last played in the Champions League three times in a row, from 2022–23 to 2024–25, via a guaranteed spot. If they have to go through qualifying, however, their record looks bleak. Since a victory over Astana in 2017, Celtic has failed in all five attempts to reach the Champions League via qualifying. AEK Athens, CFR Cluj, Ferencvaros Budapest, FC Midtjylland, and Kairat Almaty were the stumbling blocks.

Championship-Winner O’Neill
The fact that last season’s championship title remained in Glasgow (with either Celtic or Rangers)—as it has every year since Aberdeen FC in 1985—is due in no small part to the legendary Northern Irish coach Martin O’Neill. The 74-year-old had replaced Wilfried Nancy—who had been in office for just 33 days—in early January and capped off the comeback with a victory in the final game of the season against Heart of Midlothian, which had been in the lead until then. With its 56th championship title, record champion Celtic pulled ahead of city rival Rangers (55).

Martin O’Neill(Bild: AP/Peter Dejong)

Over the summer, the club sold Belgian Arne Engels to West Ham United for over 25 million euros, and Japanese player Daizen Maeda also left. The most high-profile new signing is Danish player Kasper Högh from Bodø/Glimt. O’Neill will be without the suspended English veteran Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on Wednesday.