Projected rankings sees Rangers rocket up Champions League charts as Celtic learn would be Europa League fate.
As things stand, the Ibrox side may not face as daunting a Champions League draw as they did the last time.
This year’s Premiership title battle is quite competitive, therefore neither Rangers nor Celtic can take their place at the top table for granted.
In previous seasons, Ange Postecoglou has secured an automatic Champions League group stage spot for the Hoops, while Rangers must compete in the qualifying rounds. They made it under Gio van Bronckhorst, but fell short last August.
This could be the last time our champions receive a direct ticket. Our coefficient score will decide future access, so miss out now, and the top dogs may have to wait a long time to forget about qualification. Of course, the group stage experience has not been as magical as fans would like. Rangers’ performance in the tournament has been underwhelming, and Celtic have only won one of their 12 games.
UEFA’s dazzling new format guarantees at least ten games. Given previous performance, an additional two matches against experienced Euro campaigners may be the last thing our representatives require.
However, if anticipated seedings are any indication, the Rangers, in particular, may not have as difficult a time as expected. Football Rankings has been following the coefficients of the clubs currently holding Champions League positions in leagues around Europe.
Rangers presently have 62.000 ranking points, which places them in Pot 2 based on the other qualifiers as things stand. And, while they know from painful experience that it is far from easy at the elite European level, there are other teams in Pots 3 and 4 with whom they have previously competed.
PSV were defeated in the 2022 CL playoff round, and Slavia Prague are former Europa League opponents. Aberdeen and Hearts have proved this season that PAOK aren’t world beaters, especially at home, and Gers have already met Young Boys.
Union SG are in Pot 4, together with Sparta Prague, who were defeated only three months ago. Rangers’ Pot 2 ranking would also allow them to avoid Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, and a meeting with Napoli.
As for Celtic, even if they finish second in the Premiership, they could achieve what their opponents did two years ago: get there the hard way. However, their European record would position them in Pot 4.
Rodgers’ team would be seeded in Pot 2 if they did not advance to the CL group stage and instead played in the Europa League. That’s not terrible, especially considering Rangers were the top seeds despite missing out on the Champions League playoffs this season.
As things stand, they are kept apart from Galatasaray, which performed admirably in the Champions League, Braga, and Az Alkmaar. However, Pot 1 appears to be a formidable contender in this tournament, with Newcastle lurking in Pot 3. On paper, Pot 4 appears to be more favorable, with Besiktas standing out the most. However, taking care of business at home is all that is important right now.
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