Celtic arrived in Austria with a 3-0 aggregate lead over LASK and a place in the Champions League proper within reach, but Martin O'Neill made plain the tie was not finished. The second leg in Linz carried the weight of a prize worth protecting and the risk of a comeback that would change everything.
That is why this match drew attention now. Celtic had scored in each of their last 13 games across all competitions and had not gone without a goal since early April, yet LASK brought an eight-match unbeaten home record into the Champions League play-off. For Celtic, the task was not simply to avoid mistakes. It was to handle a side that had already created chances in the first leg and had two goals ruled out for offside.
O'Neill said Celtic would come under severe pressure tonight and would not simply try to protect their advantage. His warning matched the shape of the first leg, where LASK pushed forward often enough to threaten the scoreline despite the three-goal deficit. When a team at home is unbeaten in eight and still sees enough openings to force disallowed goals, a lead can feel safer on paper than it does on the pitch.
There was also a complication away from the tie itself. Alistair Johnston was set to be out of action until October after a scan showed he faced another spell on the sidelines, having gone off at half-time in Celtic's second game of the season against Kilmarnock. O'Neill said that, if Kieran Tierney was essentially Celtic's only left-sided full-back, there would at least be a look at the situation, but he also said he would not concentrate on anything until after the game, no matter the result or the competition.
That leaves Celtic with the advantage, but not the comfort, of a three-goal cushion in a match that decides entry to the Champions League proper. LASK must turn the tie around at home. Celtic must finish a job that was never likely to feel finished before the final whistle in Linz.
