Celtic and Rangers nightmare scenario: How automatic Champions League entry could be denied

Automatic entry into next season’s Champions League group stage and all the lucrative riches that accompany it await this season’s winners of the cinch Premiership. Or so it is thought.

Rangers and Celtic are in a straight fight for the title entering the last dozen matches of the campaign and Ange Postecoglou’s side hold a narrow advantage over Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s defending champions.

It has widely been anticipated the league winner will be granted direct passage to the group stages of the continent’s top competition, courtesy of Scotland’s co-efficient built up over the past five years of European campaigns, meaning there is a golden ticket in prospect for the Premiership champions and a qualifying spot for the runners-up… but it’s not quite cut and dried.

An unlikely scenario could still force this season's champions into play-off peril.

Currently Scotland’s co-efficient ranking for the SPFL is 11th in Europe, which ordinarily permits two qualifying spots in the Champions League – one in the champions play-off round and another second qualifying round in the non-champions path.

Although Scotland is just outside the top ten countries for automatic entry, it still occupies a strong position to claim a place.

A place in the group stage is always held for the winners to defend their trophy, but if they have already qualified via their domestic league placing, the automatic qualification spot is re-allocated to the country in the 11th place for an expanded national participation.

That means if any of the top four clubs in the English Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga or Spain’s La Liga win this year’s final in St Petersburg – the SPFL champions are in.

Likewise it could also apply if either of France or Portugal’s