Rangers will be hoping for a helping hand from one of their former European opponents this weekend if they want to secure a seeded slot for the Champions League.
A second place finish in the Premiership will see Gers – who are close to appointing a permanent successor to Philippe Clement following Barry Ferguson’s stint as interim boss – enter the qualification phase in the second round.
And while they will be seeded for that round and the third qualification section, should they be successful, results in Belgium’s top tier this weekend will ultimately determine whether the Light Blues will be given a seeded position if they reach the play-off stage.
What Rangers need
Rangers require Club Brugge to reclaim their league crown on Sunday in order to book a seeded place. Brugge currently trail Union Union Saint-Gilloise – who the Ibrox side faced earlier in the Europa League this season – by a single point going into the final round of fixtures this weekend.
Brugge host fifth-placed Royal Antwerp while Union Saint-Gilloise welcome Gent to the Belgian port city.
Should Union Saint-Gilloise hold onto top spot on Sunday, then they would secure a seeded slot in the play-off round ahead of Gers due to their better standing in the co-efficient table.
The draw for the second qualifying round will take place on June 18, with the two-legged tie behind held over two weeks on July 22-23 and 29-30.
What Celtic need
Across the city, Celtic’s Champions League qualification play-off seeding confirmation lies with events in Croatia this weekend.
Brendan Rodgers’ side automatically qualified for the revamped group stages in this season’s competition but know they will have to get through a two-legged play-off round to get back amongst Europe’s elite in the next edition of the competition.
And Hoops fans will be hoping that either Rijeka or Gennaro Gattuso’s Hadjuk Split can stop Dinamo Zagreb from being crowned as champions this weekend.
Zagreb – who play their final game of the season at home to NK Varazdin on Sunday, are level on 62 points with Rijeka but are currently ahead by virtue of goal difference.
But a bizarre sorting rule in the Croatian Football League means that the winners of the title will be decided by head-to-head record in the final round of fixtures if they are level on points, taking precedence over the difference in goals scored and conceded between the sides.
Gattuso’s Split sit two points behind the duo, and while they have the edge on a head-to-head basis over Zagreb, fall short in that category to Rijeka.
As a result, Rijeka will simply need to defeat Slaven Belupo – who they also play in the domestic cup next week – or better Zagreb’s result on Sunday to be crowned as champions for the first time in eight years.
In turn, that would guarantee Celtic a seeded position for the Champions League play-off round draw.
Should Zagreb win the league, then they will take that slot ahead of the Hoops thanks to their superior ranking over Rodgers’ team in the UEFA co-efficient rankings.
The two-legged play-off to reach the league phase of Europe’s premiere competition will take place over two weeks on August 19/20 and 26/27.
Champions League seeding scenarios for Celtic and Rangers and the crunch games that will determine their fate
