There’s a danger Scotland could lose a place in the UEFA coefficient table depending on how our clubs fare. Rangers‘ heavy defeat to PSV on Wednesday night ended their Champions League hopes, but the Light Blues drop into the group stage of the Europa League, which will hopefully see more points added over the next few months. Scotland currently sits in 10th place on 31.650, not too far behind Turkey on 32.100. If we were to drop out of the top 12, then we lose our automatic qualifying spot for the Champions League group stage,
Wins for the Gers and Hibs in the last round over Swiss opposition in the last round of the Champions League and Europa Conference League qualifiers respectively. Switzerland are 12th in the UEFA table on 29.775. Hearts’ win over Rosenborg put some distance between us and 15th placed Norway, but Austria remain hot on our tails with 29.900 points. And they could overtake us if results don’t go our way this evening. Aberdeen host Hacken and a win will see them into the Europa League group stages, as well as adding a point to the total. Hearts are in Greece intent on overturning a 2-1 deficit against PAOK, while Hibs have the thankless task of facing Aston Villa in Birmingham following a 5-0 first leg drubbing.
Worst case scenario is all three lose. With LASK in action against Zrinjski and 2-1 up from the first leg, there’s a potential point for Austria. Compatriots Rapid Vienna are away to Fiorentina with a slim 1-0 lead. The Italians will be favourites, but if the visitors manage to come out on top, that puts Austria on to 31.900 and sees them leapfrog Scotland. It’s likely that Turkey will put some distance between the two nations as well. Fenerbahce travel to Twente with a 5-1 advantage. City rivals Besiktas are at home to Dynamo Kyiv and are 3-2 ahead on aggregate. Adana Demirspor welcome Genk, but the Belgians are expected to finish the job after winning the first leg 2-1.
We could really do with at least one of our representatives picking up a result tonight. If not, then it could be on Rangers to try and rack up the points in the Europa League whilst hoping Celtic are handed a favourable draw in the Champions League group stage this evening. Aberdeen can still drop into the group stage of the Conference League. From a coefficient points perspective, that could prove more useful to the collective, but the Dons will rightly be dead set on the more lucrative Europa League.
Source: DAILY RECORD
