Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to miss both legs of Celtic’s crucial Champions League play-off against LASK through suspension.
The midfielder extended his stay at the Hoops over the summer after making an important contribution under Martin O’Neill last season, but will now have to wait for his European debut in a Celtic shirt.
Credit to John McGinley from TCW for his reporting on this, Oxlade-Chamberlain is still serving a three-match UEFA suspension dating back to his final European appearance for Besiktas.
The former Liverpool and Arsenal midfielder was shown a straight red card against Lugano in the UEFA Conference League after lashing out at opposition winger Renato Steffen, who was also dismissed.
The incident resulted in a three-match ban which carries over to his time at Celtic.
That rules Oxlade-Chamberlain out of Wednesday night’s first leg at Celtic Park and the return meeting in Austria next Tuesday.
He will also be unavailable for Celtic’s opening league-phase fixture, regardless of whether O’Neill’s side qualify for the Champions League or drop into another European competition.
Despite his suspension, the midfielder has still been registered in Celtic’s squad for the LASK tie.
His absence is a blow for O’Neill ahead of a hugely significant qualifier, particularly following Arne Engels’ £22million departure to West Ham.
Celtic are attempting to avoid a repeat of last season’s painful Champions League play-off exit, when Kairat Almaty eliminated the Hoops on penalties.
That defeat proved the beginning of a turbulent campaign which eventually saw Brendan Rodgers resign and O’Neill return to the dugout.
LASK arrive as Austrian champions after securing only the second league title in their history last season.
The Linz club play their home matches at the Raiffeisen Arena, which holds just under 20,000 supporters, and will host Celtic in next Tuesday’s decisive second leg.
For Celtic, overcoming LASK would restore the Champions League nights that have been missing from Celtic Park since last season’s shock elimination – but O’Neill will have to navigate the tie without Oxlade-Chamberlain.
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