Report: Celtic close in on automatic Champions League spot with impressive co-efficient rise

Celtic have risen an impressive nine places in the latest UEFA coefficient league table taking them from 46th to 37th over the five year period that the governing body uses to rank it’s sides according to an article in The Herald.

The Glasgow sides have traditionally carried Scottish football and given the results enjoyed by the two clubs over the last two seasons there could, potentially, be a second Champions League place up for grabs in next season’s Scottish Premiership.

Individually, the rankings are used – in UEFA’s own words – “to rank individual clubs, for seeding in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League”. With the imminent introduction of the Europa Conference League, Celtic will be looking to maintain as high a ranking as possible to ensure they continue to participate amongst the continent’s big guns and the additional riches that it brings.

The report states that Celtic are currently 28th overall in this season’s table alongside the likes of Manchester United, Inter Milan and Benfica having amassed nine points in total.

The Hoops take on Copenhagen in the last 32 of the Europa League and given their form not only domestically – where they have dropped points just once since September – but in Europe as well where they have seen off Lazio, Neil Lennon’s men will back themselves to reach the next round.

Few would back against Celtic seeing off the Danes to progress and with a comfortable lead in the league, Lennon can afford to rest key players at the weekend knowing that it would take a monumental collapse to see them fail to win 9-in-a-row.

Progression may not seem like a key target for the Celts but they are now tantalisingly close to the promised land of automatic Champions League qualification – and if that doesn’t spark your interest in the Europa League, nothing will.