Rangers land £70m Champions League rescue mission as Scotland face losing group stage ticket to surging Czechs

Scotland has barely moved up to the top 10 in UEFA’s coefficient rankings following Sparta’s victory over Galatasaray.

The Czech Republic’s ascent up UEFA’s coefficient rankings threatens to jeopardise the guaranteed position in the Champions League group stage.

Rangers is the final representative in the Scottish Premiership as they await their opponent in the Europa League last 16 as they battle to stay in the top 10 before results from past seasons are subtracted. The Czechs, on the other hand, now have THREE teams competing in Europe after Sparta Prague pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat Galatasaray 6-4 overall and advance as an unseeded team to the round of 16. Despite facing each other at the group stage, the two could be brought together, which would create an intriguing subplot.

In Thursday’s draw, Sparta was joined by Slavia, their city rivals, while Viktoria Plzen is awaiting their fate in the Europa Conference League. According to Scotland’s coefficient, the last-minute comeback by Sparta, which saw two goals in the final ten minutes, saw 0.75 added to their coefficient total, putting them in 11th position with 35.3 points, while Scotland’s total was just 35.85, placing them in 10th place.

The three Czech teams had already warned the Scots to beware after three group games, collecting 19 of the 27 group stage points available. In contrast, Premiership teams Celtic, Aberdeen, and Rangers managed a pitiful six points from their efforts throughout the three European championships.

The champs would suffer a severe hit if Scotland were to fall outside of the top 10. The SPFL champions of this season will automatically qualify for the 2024–2025 Champions League season.

However, if the Czech Republic passes them and into the UEFA top 10, that might be the last time a Scottish team is thrust into Europe’s premier tournament for some time to come. For both Celtic and Rangers, finishing in the top 10 will be crucial since the £35 million prize pool for making it through the group stage will double starting in the next season.

To win the lottery, Philippe Clement and Brendan Rodgers will both be driven to win the Scottish championship. To keep the big money coming in, Hoops fans might be secretly wishing for the Ibrox team to succeed in Europe.

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