For the first time in over a decade, both Rangers and Celtic have qualified for Europe and have qualification chances.
Three out of the six games have been played in the Europa League, both Scottish teams may still have a chance to go through to the knockout stages although it won’t be easy. Celtic currently sit third in their group with 3 points, while Rangers are top of theirs with 5 points.
Despite the club’s financial situations being a lot worse off than most European clubs they do still have hopes of qualification. Money has been an issue for a long time in Scottish football and the problems Rangers have had with ownership has put them in a less than stable situation.
As a result, the clubs have much lower quality players than many teams in Europe. Back when the teams were feared in Europe, they had top quality players that European teams struggled to play against and the clubs could compete for the best players in the world. This has drastically changed though and it has shown with the lack of European success their clubs have found.
Celtic are former European champions and Rangers finalists and as unlikely as it seems that any team will repeat that this season, their current positions do give fans some hope. The sides are greatly supported and could prove that the quality of football in Scotland is slowly increasing and the clubs are may once again be big names in European football.
Rangers fan, Stuart, talked about his opinions on how the game has changed over the years. He said “There is no doubt money has influenced the game and really hurt Scottish football. The standard is nowhere near what it was when I was a kid and you don’t have the same quality of players. It’s hard to see any Scottish teams reaching huge European success but with the right investments and continued support it is not impossible as we are already seeing things go in a more positive direction.”
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