Rangers travel to Eindhoven for the second leg of their play-off with PSV on Wednesday, with the tie firmly poised at 2-2. Below we take a look at Champions League permutations to answer the burning question – which pot will Rangers be in should they win in midweek?
Which Pot Will Rangers Be in For Champions League Group Stage Draw?
As mentioned, Rangers still face a tall order if they are to secure a group stage berth in this year’s Champions League.
The Gers confirmed their spot in Europe’s elite club competition last season by beating, you guessed it, PSV at this exact stage. Antonio Colak’s solitary goal in the second leg away from home was enough to see them through with a 3-2 aggregate score, and the unfolding script for 2023’s edition is strikingly similar.
Should Rangers manage to win on Wednesday, they would enter the Champions League group stage draw in pot three due to their solid five-year UEFA coefficient.
They would join Red Star Belgrade, Shakhtar Donetsk, Red Bull Salzburg, AC Milan and Lazio in pot three – see here for the 26 teams already confirmed to be in the Champions League draw.
That is even after enduring the worst ever group stage campaign in Champions League history last term, losing against all three of their opponents and finishing on a goal difference of minus 18.
Their saving grace is the miraculous run the Europa League final two years ago, which has kept their coefficient afloat at 54.000.
Will Rangers Be in a Higher Pot Than Celtic?
More than likely, yes.
Although Celtic have dominated in Scotland for the past two years, their coefficient stands at an inferior 31.000.
They have already qualified, but the Hoops would need a wave of luck in this week’s play-offs to see them jump into pot three.
The SPL champions would need nearly every seeded team in the play-off to be knocked out, so that teams with inferior coefficients get placed into the draw below them.
Newcastle, Lens and Union Berlin are the only sides out of the current confirmed teams whose coefficient is less than Celtic’s.
If they are to be placed into pot three, they will need;
- Panathinaikos to beat Braga
- AEK Athens sweep aside Dinamo Zagreb with either them or Antwerp taking another group stage place
- Maccabi Haifa to beat Young Boys
- Molde to beat Galatasaray.
- Rakow to beat Copenhagen.
Below are the current aggregate scores of the six play-offs, with the second legs to be played on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
- Panathinaikos 1-2 Braga
- Young Boys 0-0 Maccabi Haifa
- AEK Athens 0-1 Antwerp
- Copenhagen 1-0 Rakow
- Galatasaray 3-2 Molde
- PSV 2-2 Rangers
What Happens if Rangers Lose to PSV?
Losing teams at this stage of qualifying automatically transfer to the UEFA Europa League group stage.
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