Rangers may actually want Celtic to win vs Stuttgart as ‘devastating’ outcome now likely
Rangers may be in the odd position of wanting Celtic to win in the Europa League on Thursday away at Stuttgart.
Rangers‘ bitter rivals reached the Europa League’s play-off stage after coming through the competition’s league phase earlier this season.
However, Martin O’Neill’s team were thumped 4-1 in the first leg of their play-off tie with the German side, and now face a daunting task to reach the last 16.
While many fans of the Ibrox outfit will cheer for a Celtic defeat in Germany, a loss for the Bhoys could have a hugely negative impact on Danny Rohl‘s side next season.
That is because if Celtic fail to progress to the next stage of the tournament, Scotland will fall out of the all-important top 15 in the UEFA coefficient rankings.
And according to The Herald, that will have “devastating” consequences for Rangers, Celtic, and more.
- Read more: Rangers will be happy with Celtic’s Europa League struggle for more than the obvious reason
Scotland’s falling UEFA coefficient could cost Rangers millions
It’s stated that if Celtic lose at Stuttgart, Scotland will slip from 14th to 18th in the coefficient table for next season.
That will mean just one Champions League place will be available in 2026-27 after six seasons of two spots. Moreover, the league champions will enter the second qualifying round, not the play-off.
For instance, Rangers, Celtic, or Hearts would then have to come through three ties to join the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Real Madrid, and more in the Champions League group phase.
The Herald adds there will be no Europa League safety net, and theoretically, they could miss out on all three European competitions if they have a shocking start to the campaign.
They add that the Scottish Premiership’s runners-up will only get into the second qualifying round of the Conference League.
While the Scottish Cup winners will still qualify for the Europa League, they will still have to negotiate another two qualifying rounds.
On Monday, finance expert Kieran Maguire told the BBC, “For every one pound you earn in the Champions League, you get approximately 22p in the Europa League and 11p in the Conference League. It is a sizeable difference.”
Ergo, this coefficient drop could cost Rangers, among others, millions of pounds going forward.
Rangers have bigger priorities before thinking about Europe
Eight days ago, it seemed inevitable that Rangers or Celtic would overhaul league leaders Hearts after the former beat Derek McInnes’ side at Ibrox 4-2 in a thriller.
The Bhoys also secured an unlikely last-minute comeback away at Kilmarnock on the same day, bringing them within three points of Hearts, plus they had a game in hand.
Rangers were a point ahead of their bitter rivals, but that is now back to four after Hearts beat Falkirk on Saturday, and the Gers were held to a 2-2 draw at lowly Livingston.
Celtic, on the other hand, fell to a shock home defeat to Hibernian on Sunday, a result that leaves them six points adrift of Hearts.
If Rangers want to win their first league title since 2021, and potentially have a shot at the Champions League, they need a strong end to the season, starting with an Old Firm clash with Celtic on Sunday.
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