Celtic and Rangers do not need to be told about the pressure they face tonight in their crunch Europa League games.
A berth in the Europa League would mean significant financial rewards for the two remaining Scottish sides in the qualification process.
However, Scottish football could be reaping the rewards if one, or ideally both teams, manage to qualify.
Victory for either Celtic or Rangers (or both) would be a major boost for Scotland’s coefficient and would see the nation enter a coefficient surplus.
Scotland’s coefficient currently sits at 3.250, ahead of nations near us in the coefficient chart such as Ukraine (1.800) and Denmark (2.250). However, the next win, and securing future chances to gain coefficient for Scottish clubs is crucial.
The reason for this comes down to how coefficients are calculated.
READ MORE: The remarkable coefficient stat that no one is talking about
Updated coefficient! Let me know if anything looks incorrect always possible after EL qualifying rounds. My takeaway from this is that Turkey is trouble of losing that auto bid, like a lot of trouble. pic.twitter.com/gtTR184dck
— UEFA Calculator (@UEFACalculator) September 24, 2020
National coefficients are based on the results of each association's clubs in the five previous UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League seasons. Scotland’s ranking for season 21/22 has already been decided based on the last campaign, with Scotland set for 14th place.
However, at the end of each season, the points gained from the earliest season are dropped and replaced with the figures from the most recent season.
This means for Scotland that the coefficient points gained in the 15-16 season will drop off the rankings and the final total of points gained from this season will come in giving Scotland their total coefficient for season 22/23.
And in the 15-16 Scotland amassed a total of 3.000 points, .250 less than the current campaign. While this should be cause for celebration enough with Scotland entering a surplus, a team (or both) qualifying to the group stages would see the nation add more on to the overall pot and surge up the coefficient table.
READ MORE: Scottish clubs are two wins away from a major coefficient landmark
The incentive is even greatest considering that the nation above Scotland in the coefficient table is Turkey and a victory for Rangers over Galatasaray could see Scotland further damage the coefficient of teams above them and move the nation into an automatic Champions League slot for the Scottish Premiership winners.
This would also mean fewer qualifiers for other clubs entering into Europe, giving Scottish clubs a better chance at reaching the group stages.
While Scotland can take comfort in securing more coefficient to their total, wins tonight for Scottish clubs could have a major impact on future seasons.
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