Are Celtic undercooked for LASK play-off?

Former Celtic striker Cillian Sheridan has expressed his belief that the club should aim to qualify for the Champions League every year. However, he questions whether the transfer market activity has been sufficient to make the team competitive enough to advance past their opponents LASK in the upcoming play-off. Celtic's signing deadline has passed, with no additional players brought in, resulting in a total of four new recruits before tonight's first leg at Celtic Park.

Stephen McGowan, a football writer for The Herald, acknowledges the difficulty of the task ahead for Celtic. LASK is considered a formidable opponent, and Celtic has made decent efforts to strengthen the squad in recent weeks. However, Sheridan points out the need for a goalkeeper and a backup left-back, which they have not been able to secure despite Arne Engels' departure.

The recent performances of Celtic in Champions League qualifying attempts carry significant weight. They have failed in their past five attempts, with the last successful qualification occurring in 2017. As such, there is considerable pressure on Martin O'Neill's side to perform well against LASK. Sheridan notes that Celtic's preparations appear to be on par with their previous match against Kairat Almaty last season, indicating a solid start to the season. Nonetheless, if the team fails to qualify, the recruitment issues will likely be brought up again.