Having enjoyed two Champions League qualification spots since 2020/21, Scotland now faces a five-way battle against Austria, Switzerland, Turkey and Serbia to keep them.
Celtic have been the main beneficiaries, finishing top of the pile in the two seasons since one of those spots became a guaranteed ticket to the group stage in 2021/22. In that sense, Rangers’ timing was poor. They may have stopped 10-In-A-Row, but were eliminated in the qualifiers by an Antonio Colak-inspired Malmo. Ange Postecoglou wrestled it back off Rangers in his first season at Parkhead, booking a seat at Europe’s top table, while the Ibrox club made it through the qualifiers, dumping PSV out to join their rivals and a share of the lucrative prize pot.
The Hoops will be back at the same stage with Brendan Rodgers this season, while Michael Beale has two rounds to negotiate if he is to get the chance to mix it with the Continent’s best. But that situation may not last too long if there’s not a better points return this time around.
