You are never going to get Celtic fans cheering on Rangers for flying the flag for Scotland in Europe.
But I suspect there are a fair few who are secretly quite pleased their old rivals will be tied up with a couple more games, at least, against continental opposition.
I get the thinking. More matches, more travelling, the risk of picking up knocks and fatigue setting in.
It’s not easy going for leagues and cups when you are still involved in European competition late on.
It could take its toll on Rangers.
But I wouldn’t bank on it being much of an advantage.
People will look back to our Seville season at Celtic. It was a memorable campaign, albeit we actually ended up empty-handed that year.
But ask fans if they would have swapped some of those experiences – beating teams such as Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool – for a title or a cup, I’m not so sure.
And I’m not sure you could say Seville cost us the league that year either. It was hard going at times but we finished that season with six wins on the spin and 97 points, losing out on the crown by a goal.
Rangers were a good side and they pipped us at the post. It happens.
We certainly didn’t make any excuses and the current Rangers side shouldn’t either.
Players want to be involved in big games that come thick and fast – and it might come down to the strength of the squad.
I remember we put Barcelona out of the UEFA Cup the season after Seville and then beat Rangers about 68 hours later.
No one moaned about being tired.
There were slip-ups after European games as well but it’s managing those moments that matter when it gets to this stage of the season.
We’re going into a period when we could have three Celtic v Rangers matches in the space of a few weeks. Bring it on.
It was inevitable the big two would eventually collide as we got towards the time when the prizes get handed out and no one can say it won’t be box office.
We had a one-sided league for a decade and it was the same in reverse last term when Rangers ran away with it.
Now we have a title race that is heading down to the wire and a Scottish Cup semi-final to look forward to as well.
The great thing about it is this next spell is impossible to predict.
You think back to when Brendan Rodgers was in charge and the hardest thing to predict was how many Celtic would win by.
Rangers then went unbeaten for about two years and often didn’t look like losing. But right now it’s on a total knife edge. Celtic were streets ahead when they met at Parkhead last month and that will give them confidence going to Ibrox.
Anything could happen, though. Both sides could conceivably win big and that’s not far off what it was like back in my day when it was two right good sides banging heads for the major honours.
From Celtic ’s point of view, they can’t pay any attention to what Rangers are doing in Europe.
Fair play to them for what they are doing but my old club need to focus on what they themselves are doing.
No one in their right mind would have predicted Celtic would be in this position back in September.
But they’ve put together a serious run of form where they have managed to pick up results in all kinds of ways.
It’s not all been flashy, swash-buckling football. But that’s OK, that’s what it takes to win titles.
They are in with a chance this year and that’s more than most expected.
The cup Double would still be a success. A league and cup Double would be remarkable.
And the Treble would be absolutely sensational.
Especially when you consider where Celtic have come from. Ange Postecoglou doesn’t shy away from it either.
Usually when managers get asked about Trebles, they run a mile from it.
Postecoglou hasn’t shouted from the rooftops about winning the clean sweep but he has admitted it’s there for his side.
That’s about as bold as it gets from a manager of Celtic or Rangers.
In fairness to him, however, he’s never wavered in what he’s said all season. It’s always about being focused on performance rather than results – as one leads to the other – and he’s insisted he won’t change a thing for the run-in.
Why should he?
Postecoglou’s principles have got Celtic to where they are right now – bang in the frame for the Treble. Whether he
gets there or falls short remains to be seen but everyone can see the direction the club are going in.
I don’t know how the triple-header with Rangers will go but I can’t see either side winning all three games.
I can predict plenty of drama and that’s great news for Scottish football, as is Rangers progressing in Europe.
