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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark Pirie

How Celtic and Rangers coefficient contributions compare after Champions League group stage spot sealed

The Scottish champions will earn an automatic Champions League group stage spot when they lift the Premiership title.

But that has reignited a long-running debate among Rangers and Celtic fans.

Ange Postecoglou's men are on the brink of sealing the trophy with a six-point lead going into the final three games.

After UEFA announced Russian clubs will not be taking part next season, that means that the Australian will be gearing up to face Europe's elite clubs next term despite disappointing performances in Champions League qualification, the Europa League group stage and their Europa Conference League tie against Bodo/Glimt.

(Getty Images)

Rangers fans have been quick to point to their recent success in Europe - arriving at the conclusion that the only reason Scotland has a high coefficient is because of the Ibrox side.

So who has contributed more to Scotland's coefficient total?

Well, the qualifying period sees club coefficients taken from as far back as the 2016-17 campaign, which was Brendan Rodgers' debut season at Celtic Park.

Mark Warburton was leading Rangers back into the top with no European football at the time.

Rodgers managed to navigate the playoff rounds and reach the Champions League group stage, where they would finish bottom of the group behind Borussia Mönchengladbach, Manchester City and Barcelona.

They would reach the Champions League group stage once again during the 2017-18 campaign, finishing third in a group containing Anderlecht, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

They dropped into the Europa League, but would crash out in the last 32 to Zenit St Petersburg.

Neymar vies with Celtic defender Anthony Ralston (AFP)

Meanwhile across the city, Pedro Caixinha would infamously be leading Rangers out of Europe against minnows Progrès Niederkorn as he argued with fans in a bush.

The following season Rodgers would fail to reach the Champions League before leaving for Leicester, with Neil Lennon steering the Europa League campaign. In the knockout phase they would be defeated by Valencia over two legs.

In Steven Gerrard's first game in charge, Rangers would reach the group stage of UEFA's second tier competition but finished in third.

During the 2019-20 campaign Celtic would top their Europa League group before being defeated by FC Copenhagen over two legs in the round of 32. Rangers would go one step further under Gerrard, reaching the last 16 before defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.

Lennon's final campaign as Parkhead boss would slump to a disappointing campaign in Europe, finishing bottom of their Europa League group. Across the city, Rangers would reach the round of 16 again before defeat to Slavia Prague.

How does that all break down? It's close between the Glasgow rivals, but it totals at Celtic adding 34.000 and Rangers chipping in with 31.250 to the club coefficient.

The total coefficient towards country rank, which includes bonus points and qualifying rounds, also totalled at Celtic adding 59.00 and Rangers contributing 49.50.

Next season, however, the Ibrox side are on track to overtake – as Gio van Bronckhorst could add to that tally in the Europa League semi-final second leg against RB Leipzig and if his side reach the final in Seville.

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