Celtic have only domestic football to contend with as they continue their pursuit of a domestic double under Brendan Rodgers.
Our involvement in the Champions League this season gave another sobering indication of our standing within European competition.
Two narrow defeats to Lazio, a 6-0 thumping away to Atletico Madrid and losing out to Feyenoord on matchday one subsequently ended our hopes of advancing to the knockout stage or dropping into the Europa League.
Nevertheless, we also saw shoots of encouragement in our home draw to Diego Simeone’s La Liga giants, coupled with a first victory in the competition for over ten years against Feyenoord on the final day courtesy of a last-minute Gustaf Lagerbielke winner.
With our quest to win the Scottish Premiership title in full flow, there are notable changes to the tournament format should we get over the line.
Should we do so, the Champions League will consist of 36 teams with no dropdown to the Europa League and an increased fixture schedule, where we would play eight matches in total: four home and four away.
Financially, Celtic could earn around €41 million before ticket sales, as a rough estimate; however, we will find out more in due course.
Brendan Rodgers discusses Celtic’s Champions League prospects
Undoubtedly, the Bhoys have struggled to bridge the gap with the European elite on the pitch, with financial capability being the most notable differentiator.
As a result of Scottish side’s wider results in continental competition, we are in a direct shootout with Czechia for the lucrative tenth spot in UEFA’s coefficient rankings [Sky Sports].
Despite Scotland currently occupying the berth, Czechia will overtake us if Viktoria Plzen manage to secure a draw in either leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final tie against Fiorentina.
Why is this important? If that were the case, the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership winners wouldn’t gain automatic Champions League entry and would, instead, need to negotiate one qualifying round, while the runners-up would have the difficult task of negotiating three to reach the group phase.
Nevertheless, Rodgers has issued a calm verdict on the potential scenario, indicating that Celtic will deal with the cards they are dealt and try their best to prevail.
He stated: [The Daily Record]: “For us it’s about getting there however which way we get there. The co-efficient we need to try and work it as best we can to get our teams in. Yeah, you’d want the place to be here, but we shall wait and see.”
Celtic will take things as they come in Europe
Truthfully, any control Celtic had over deciding the coefficient’s future ranking has already come and gone this campaign, and we will need to wait and see what transpires elsewhere before having a definitive answer.
For now, our only focus is domestic matters, where we can enable ourselves to inherit the riches of the automatic Champions League place on offer next season, should the Bhoys get over the line.