What Celtic need to automatically qualify for Champions League last 16 – 7 results that must unfold

It's been a Champions League campaign to remember for Celtic fans as the Hoops roared into the knockouts for the first time since 2012.

Celts have endured a mediocre decade in Europe but Brendan Rodgers has made significant strides to restore the Parkhead club's proud reputation. Aside from that blip in Dortmund, the Glasgow giants have proved they can compete against the elite by racking up a club record points total of 12 from seven matches - booking their place in the playoffs with a game to spare.

Direct qualification into the last 16 isn't entirely out of the question either, but it would require a remarkable set of results for the Scottish champions to somehow sneak into the top eight of the revamped league phase on matchday eight. Here, Record Sport examines what must happen in the final round of fixtures as Celtic head to Villa Park.

Mathematically, yes. But it's extremely unlikely. In fact, their chances of reaching the top eight are so slim that they didn’t qualify automatically in any of Opta's supercomputer’s simulations. So, if you like a flutter, don't put your mortgage on Celts finishing outside ninth and 24th.

Let's start with the obvious. It goes without saying that Celtic must beat Aston Villa to stand any chance of leapfrogging the play-offs. As things stand, the Hoops are 18th in the table, a point behind eighth-placed Bayer Leverkusen who have 13, the same tally as Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille and Brest. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus are all locked on 12 points just like Celtic, but have a better goal difference. With all that in mind, the Scottish champions would have to rely on seven results going in their favour on Wednesday night to somehow sneak into