The Champions League high anxiety as Celtic and Rangers plus Aberdeen and Hearts face coefficient ticking timebomb

Scottish clubs are facing a Champions League sweat with the country’s coefficient ranking in danger of sliding after a disappointing season in European competition.

Celtic have enjoyed the luxury of entering the group stage of the competition last season as well as this term, and with a new format to be ushered in for the 2024/25 campaign, the Scottish Premiership title winners are set to fly the saltires in the group stages once again. With 36 teams set to compete in the revamped competition the champions look set to be given the green light for the expanded tournament.

However, after a lacklustre showing against some of the Continent's biggest hitters last term the coefficient score is sliding - and the Scottish Premiership is under pressure to keep the second Champions League qualification spot. The country could lose this coveted berth the season after next if our clubs don’t improve in Europe. Celtic failed to win a game and escape the group, while Rangers recorded the worst ever group stage performance having navigated the qualifying rounds.

Outside of Glasgow, Motherwell fell at the first hurdle in the Conference League when they crashed out at the hands of Sligo Rovers and Dundee United quickly followed them out with a 7-1 aggregate hammering at the hands of AZ Alkmaar. Scotland's only group stage wins in Europe came as Hearts defeated RFS Riga both home and away in the Conference League before failing to reach the knockout stage.

The dire performance saw Scotland leapfrogged by Belgium and drop down a place in the coefficient rankings and clubs will be on alert for the slide continuing. Just 3.5 points were collected this season, leaving Austria just 2.4 points behind Scotland as they bid to move up the