Celtic ‘should want Rangers in Champions League’ despite jackpot that comes with it
Rangers recorded a 2-0 victory over Panathinaikos to begin their Champions League qualification campaign.
Russell Martin took charge of his first competitive game at Ibrox on Tuesday, and his side recorded an impressive win to get their season off to the best possible start.
Rangers are aiming to reach the Champions League first league phase, and have potentially two more two-legged qualifying ties to navigate.
Goals from Findlay Curtis and Djeidi Gassama handed Rangers the win, and Celtic may have been watching on with some interest.
Celtic to benefit from Rangers Champions League success
Celtic have already qualified for the main phase of the Champions League after winning the Scottish Premiership, while Rangers face the obstacles of the July and August qualifying rounds.
While both sets of fans may love nothing more than to see the other lose in Europe, journalist Michael Gannon has pointed out that Celtic may actually be rooting for Rangers in the Champions League, for now.
| Date | 5/6 & 12 August |
| Opponents | Viktoria Plzen or Servette FC |
| Stage | Third qualifying round |
| Opponents avoided in draw | Fenerbahce, Nice, SK Brann/FC Salzburg |
Writing in the Daily Record (July 23, page 49), Gannon claimed that Rangers progressing in Europe would distract them in the league again, and would also help Scotland’s UEFA coefficient points.
“They should have secretly been cheering on their old chums, Rangers in their Champions League qualifier,” he said.
“It would be good for Celtic to have Rangers occupied in Europe every week – and preferably in the big boys’ playground of the Champions League group stages.
“Europe has been a major source of joy – and income – for Rangers over the years.
“Yet this season it’s a distraction. They need to get their act together on the home front for once, then go from there.
“Europe would put an even bigger strain on their squad and allow Celtic the space to get their own side in order to compete on several fronts.
“In case anyone at Parkhead hasn’t noticed, a lot of the impressive work done by Rangers in Europe helped them get direct entry into the Champions League group stages for three years on the bounce.”
Rangers need domestic and European balance
The financial and mental boost Rangers would gain from reaching the main Champions League would be monumental, but there is a risk.
Last season, Rangers progressed far in the Europa League, but at the expense of domestic results, and ultimately crashed out of every competition.
The aim should be to get as far as possible in Europe, but realistically, Rangers are not going to win the Champions League, but they can win the Scottish Premiership if they progress well under Martin.
Sacrificing another domestic season for a cup run would not go down well, and Martin will need to rotate well in order to compete on both fronts.
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