LASK's Title Defence: Perfect Start but Warning Signs Ahead

LASK’s title defence is up and running, but Lukas Jungwirth can already see the storm on the horizon.

Two wins from two in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga, a 2-0 victory over Austria Wien in the bank, and the champions look as if they’ve slipped straight back into last season’s groove. The table says everything is fine. Their goalkeeper says it isn’t.

Because Celtic are coming.

Winning – and worrying

On Sunday, LASK did what strong champions do: they took care of business. Austria Wien were beaten without drama on the scoresheet, the Raiffeisen Arena celebrating a routine home win to keep the perfect start intact.

Yet inside the dressing room, the analysis cut a little deeper. Jungwirth, never one to hide behind a clean sheet, pointed straight at a spell that bothered him.

“Around the time of the offside goal, we relied too much on possession and weren't mentally prepared for Austria's counter-attacks,” he said, speaking via Daily Record after the match.

LASK had control, but it was a fragile kind of control. Too slow on the ball. Too casual in transition. The kind of lapses a domestic rival couldn’t fully exploit, but which a sharper side at Champions League level would relish.

“We also need to be more clinical at the end; we might be punished for that against other opponents,” Jungwirth added.

The warning was clear. The scoreline flattered the performance.

Celtic on the horizon

Those “other opponents” have a name and a very loud stadium. Celtic await in the Champions League play-off, first at Celtic Park, then back in Linz for the decider.

Martin O’Neill’s squad has been armed for exactly these nights. Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran have already been brought in to sharpen the attack, with Haissem Hassan expected to add yet another option in the final third. For a goalkeeper who has just watched his team switch off against counters and waste chances of their own, that is not an abstract concern.

Jungwirth never mentioned Celtic directly, but he didn’t need to. Every line about concentration, about being ruthless, about the dangers of coasting on possession, pointed straight at the tie that will define LASK’s early season.

Champions who know the standard

None of this comes from a place of insecurity. LASK are champions of Austria for a reason. They finished ahead of Sturm Graz last season and did it with authority. The belief inside the camp is real and justified.

That’s why Jungwirth’s words carry weight. They come from a team that understands what a high standard looks like and recognises when it slips, even in victory.

He still left the pitch satisfied with the outcome, if not every detail of the display.

“I think if you go home with a 2-0 win as the favourites, you can definitely be satisfied,” he said.

Satisfied, but not fooled.

LASK have started their title defence perfectly. The numbers say so. The goalkeeper’s verdict says something else: if they want to walk out of Celtic Park with more than a harsh lesson, the small cracks on show against Austria Wien need sealing – fast.