Celtic now know exactly when they will face Austrian champions LASK in their crucial Champions League play-off.
Martin O’Neill’s side were drawn against the Austrian outfit on Monday, with a place in the Champions League league phase at stake over two legs.
UEFA has now confirmed the fixture dates.
The first leg will take place at Celtic Park on 19 August, before the Hoops travel to Austria for the return fixture on 25 August. Both are 8 pm kick-offs. [UEFA]
It promises to be one of Celtic’s biggest tests of the season.
LASK arrive as Austrian champions and will provide stern opposition, with O’Neill’s side knowing they are just 180 minutes away from securing a place among Europe’s elite.
The rewards for progressing are enormous, both financially and competitively.
Should Celtic come through the tie, they will book their place in the Champions League league phase. Defeat, meanwhile, would see the Scottish champions drop into the Europa League.
The draw has also increased the importance of the remainder of the transfer window.
Celtic have added Camilo Duran and club-record signing Kasper Høgh so far this summer, but O’Neill has repeatedly stated that more arrivals are needed.
The manager is expected to hold further talks with chief executive Michael Nicholson as the club continues to pursue targets including Mika Baur, while reinforcements in other areas remain under consideration.
There is also the matter of getting minutes into players’ legs.
Høgh only made his competitive debut against Dundee on Monday night, while it was some World Cup stars’ first minutes since the summer tournament.
By the time LASK arrive in Glasgow, O’Neill will hope his new signings are fully integrated and that further additions have strengthened a squad aiming to compete on both the domestic and European fronts.
With the dates now confirmed, the countdown to Celtic’s biggest fixtures of the season has officially begun.
We are not in the position to go anywhere near the champions league thanks too this pathetic bunch that runs our club we are I million up due to our transfer dealings so don’t be fooled that we have spent money we can’t go on with this board anymore