Champions Celtic have loved direct qualification to the group or league part of the Champions League for the final three seasons.
Supervisor Brendan Rodgers has made clear what a distinction it made to keep away from the qualifiers, with extra assured cash to spend and pre-season preparations much less rushed.
That assured gravy practice ends from subsequent season, although. Scotland’s champions will enter within the play-off spherical, and so might want to win one tie to succeed in the 36-team league part.
That two-leg affair will come in opposition to a fellow home champion from nations ranked under Scotland within the coefficient standings for subsequent season, for instance Denmark, Serbia, or Greece.
There’s nonetheless a method the Scottish champions might sneak into the league part straight, although.
If the Champions League winner has already certified through their home league, then their place goes to the home champion with the most effective five-year coefficient who has not already certified straight.
Celtic should not in a fantastic place to assert this, although Rangers could be as they’re ranked increased due to their Europa League successes.
The Premiership winners have the comfort prize of a Europa League place ought to they fail within the play-off spherical, although.
In the meantime, it will get worse for the Premiership runners-up too. Rangers began within the third spherical of qualifying this time period, earlier than shedding within the play-off spherical to Dynamo Kyiv.
Spherical two is now the start line, so whoever finishes second must negotiate three rounds of qualifying to succeed in the Champions League.
So long as they win one tie, although, a Europa League place is assured.
