Scotland's Coefficient Weekly Review
Hearts drop down while Motherwell and Hibs march on
After a largely dismal start last week, Motherwell and Hibs ensured this week ended far better, with both recording convincing second-leg wins to progress to the third qualifying round of the Conference League. Both clubs increased their minimum UEFA payments this season from €525,000 to €900,000.
Motherwell’s tie against Faroese side HB looked straightforward after their 2-0 first-leg win, and a 3-0 victory in Tórshavn completed a 5-0 aggregate success. Hibs faced far greater uncertainty after last week’s disaster in Kosovo. Three goals in the opening 35 minutes eased the Easter Road nerves, although the closing stages became tense after Malisheva made it 4-1 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate with six minutes plus stoppage time remaining.
Hibs became only the second Scottish club, after Celtic, to progress from more than one European tie after losing the first leg by at least two goals.
Hearts dropped out of the Champions League without scoring across the two legs. The 6-0 aggregate scoreline felt harsh given the chances the Jambos created over the course of the tie but ultimately it was a wasted entry into the Champions League after 20 years away.
They now drop into the third qualifying round of the Europa League, where they will face Benfica. The Portuguese side showed their class in their own second leg against St Gallen, winning 5-0 on the night and 6-2 on aggregate. Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis scored the first four goals, less than a year after pleasingly missing a sitter for Greece against Scotland at Hampden. We might not have made the World Cup had he scored.
If Hearts lose that tie, they will drop into the Conference League play-off round as an unseeded team. Their potential opponents will be confirmed in Monday’s draw, so we desperately need a favourable tie for Hearts.
The Coefficient Standings
Motherwell remain Scotland’s leading contributors this season after winning both legs without conceding a goal. Hibs recovered from last week’s embarrassment to become the first Edinburgh club to add points to Scotland’s coefficient.
Despite those wins, Scotland’s position in the UEFA rankings remains abysmal. The next three to five years will be shaped by how many Scottish clubs reach the league phase this season and next.
The target this season is to get four of the five clubs into the league phase, which would be a Scottish first - we’ve never had more than three. If Scotland reaches that figure and our clubs collect wins across the three competitions, the national coefficient can begin a slow climb back towards 15th. That is the position required to retain the current entry points for our clubs.
Scotland’s entry rounds will worsen dramatically over the next few seasons. This starts from next summer, as the clubs will enter as follows:
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