The Race For European Football This Season!
This season's European entrants as the table currently stands
With 9 matches left to play, and just four games before the league splits in two, the title race is still extremely tight in Scotland. It’s the first time since 1994/95 that any team other than Rangers had a better goal difference than Celtic at this stage of the season. It’s the first time since 1986 that any side has had a better GD than BOTH Celtic and Rangers after 29 matches played! And there’s two of them!
Celtic have been champions in 13 of the past 14 seasons, yet currently sit in second place - five points behind Hearts. Rangers are in third, one point behind Celtic and so there are only six points separating the top three. Motherwell are now ten points off top spot after losing 2-1 away to Dundee and so their already slender odds have lengthened again.
It’s arguably the ‘best’ title race since 1998, when there was just five points between the top three after 29 matches played. Celtic ultimately prevailed that season, beating St. Johnstone at Celtic Park on the final day of the season to finish two points ahead of Rangers; ending the Gers’ bid for ten-in-a-row.
As in previous seasons, I’ll be tracking how the current league table translates to European qualification spots at the end of this season. I’ll also include “example opponents” - this is who each team would face in qualifiers, based on current coefficient rankings and current league tables around Europe.
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THIS SEASON
As will be discussed in the “next season” section - this season’s European entry points are as good as it gets for Scottish football - and for quite some time. The falling coefficient means that if Hearts were to win the title in the coming years - this is the year to do it!
There are two distinct paths for our European entrants, and it depends on who wins the Scottish Cup. This is now a lot clearer after the weekend’s matches narrowed the tournament down to a final four (St Mirren Vs Celtic and Dunfermline Vs Falkirk). From this I’ll be able to show why it may be better for Rangers if Celtic win the Scottish Cup and how it will definitely be better for Hibs!
1.) ASSUMING CELTIC WIN THE SCOTTISH CUP & FINISH IN THE TOP TWO
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