Andy Halliday predicts ‘most Rangers thing ever’ in Celtic vs Dunfermline cup final
Andy Halliday would be amused to see Dunfermline Athletic beat Celtic in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final to put Rangers out of the Europa League.
The former Scotland international recognises the importance of the final at Hampden Park on the Gers’ European prospects next season.
If Neil Lennon gets the better of his mentor Martin O’Neill, the Light Blues will be playing in the Conference League in the 2026/27 campaign.
Fans in G51 are certainly in a bit of a pickle as they need their arch Old Firm rivals to do them a favour by winning another trophy.
Danny Rohl was knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Celtic, but will surely hope O’Neill comes out victorious for a selfish reason.
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Where will Rangers start in Europe next season?
Speaking on Open Goal on 21 May, Halliday said, “It will be the most Rangers thing ever that Dunfermline win it and Rangers get put out of the Europa League. If Celtic win it, Rangers are in the Europa League. If Dunfermline win it, they’re in the Conference League.”
A Celtic win would mean the Gers will start in the third qualifying round of the Europa League and will have to win that and the play-off round to make the league phase of the competition.
If the Light Blues end up losing the play-off round, they’ll still have a place in the Conference League play-off round to keep their European hopes alive.
| Competition | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| William Hill Premiership | 30 | 19 | 6 | 5 |
| Europa League | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Premier Sports Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Scottish Gas Scottish Cup | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
In the event Dunfermline pull off a shock in the final, the Govan side will have to play in the second qualifying round of the third-tier UEFA competition and win three games to reach the league phase.
Going by the quality of teams in the Conference League final this season, Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano, Rohl will certainly fancy his chances in the competition if they end up in it.
Danny Rohl has evident Ibrox priority to save job
Andrew Cavenagh is backing Rohl for now at Rangers, but the German manager must deliver trophies next season to avoid getting sacked.
The Ibrox faithful have been behind the former Sheffield Wednesday boss for most of the season, but the four losses on the bounce post-split have changed the perspective of many supporters.
It feels like the 37-year-old head coach is already on thin ice going into the 2026-27 campaign, which isn’t an ideal situation for him to be in.
Rohl’s first test will be in the Premier Sports Cup next season and the Govan side have to show they can win silverware under him.
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