Celtic and Rangers have had a promising start to the league campaign, but much more has to be done
Scottish clubs have made a strong start in the restructured European league rounds, but they are still a long way from automatically recovering Champions League spots.
And things could get even worse for Scottish clubs in Europe’s top competition, after the Czech Republic knocked us out of the top ten last season. The slide has further widened this season, with a stunning 9.75 points going through UEFA’s trap door and out of our five-year total at the start of the most recent European campaign.
Celtic and Rangers both scored a high number of points during the 2019/20 season, hence it will no longer be considered towards the overall total.Celtic entered the Europa League from the Champions League playoffs and advanced to the last 32, earning 16.5 points in the coefficient. Rangers would also be successful in the Europa League, advancing from the group stage to the last 16 and adding 18 points to their total.
While Aberdeen and Kilmarnock failed to advance to the Europa League playoff rounds, they added 3.5 and 1 points to their record, respectively. The final score was 9.75, according to UEFA’s average.
However, with that now absent, Scotland has dropped to 17th in the coefficient ranking. Despite Celtic’s successful start in the Champions League against Slovan Bratislava, Brendan Rodgers’ side has already added 8 points to the pot. Despite losing in the Champions League play-off round to Dynamo Kyiv, Philippe Clement’s first leg tie with the Ukrainian champions, combined with a Europa League win against Malmo, means he has contributed 2.5 points thus far.
Kilmarnock and St Mirren scored 2.5 and 2 points, respectively, in their failed attempts to qualify for the Europa League and Conference League league stages.Hearts will meet Dinamo Minsk in the Conference League next week, looking to add to their zero points from the Europa League playoffs.
As it stands, Scotland has averaged a coefficient tally of 3 this season, which is dwarfed by the enormous haul recorded in 2019/20. As of now, we hold a 0.2-point lead over 16th-placed Greece and 0.275 points over 15th-placed Denmark.
With a current score of 29.3, we are some distance from the top ten. Turkey is currently in that slot with 36.9 points, but a strong performance by Scottish clubs this season could add to the pressure.
However, if Scotland remains in 17th place, it will make it even more difficult for Scottish clubs to qualify for the Champions League league phase and the £40 million jackpot. The Scottish title winners will enter the Champions League knockout rounds starting next season, while the runners-up will participate in the second qualifying round. Third place earns the club a spot in the Europa League’s second qualifying round, while third place earns entry into the Conference League at the same stage.
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