While the two domestic competitions have gotten off to very positive starts, August and Champions League qualifiers have not been all that positive for Celtic in recent history. This season’s potential spoiler comes from Austria, with the 2025-2026 Bundesliga champions, their first since 1965, poised to descend upon Celtic Park on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
Is anxiety about this tie a form of irrational PTSD from past travails?
What exactly could we all be in for as the two teams compete to gain access to Champions League riches?
There are various models to reference like ELO and similar power rankings, but as a group they generally have LASK at a higher level than either Hearts or Rangers, and around the 2nd tier of Belgian clubs like Anderlecht and Genk.
In other words, an opponent to certainly be respected, but no reason to be feared. However, a good bit above opponents to whom we have all been traumatized by in recent years, like Maribor, Malmo, and Kairat.
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