Celtic guaranteed Champions League football after Christmas NEXT season if they see off Rangers
Hurting Celtic followers have experienced every possible European ache following their team but a glimmer of good news is on the way.
The Scottish Premiership champions will guarantee post-Christmas Champions League football for the first time in 12 years. And it will be Celtic if they hold off Rangers and win a 12th title in 13 seasons. UEFA have released their full schedule for the revamped format to the world's biggest club competition and the new league format runs until the New Year. The sweeping Champions League reforms will see 36 teams guaranteed eight games with fixtures running from September to January against eight different opponents.
If, and it's a big if on the basis of Celtic's recent record dining at European football's top table, they finish in the top in the top 24 places of the new-look format, they will guarantee two more games taking the tally to 10 which is the equivalent of reaching the quarter finals in the current format.
Celtic are eight points ahead of Rangers and in pole position to come out top of the pile in Scotland once more. But boss Brendan Rodgers is craving added quality and jaded punters have had their fill of a dreary decade which has yielded only one victory over Anderlecht since beating Ajax in 2013. It's another year with no European football after Santa drops off the presents but they will get a shot to bear gifts into next January if they lock in their place in the group stage. The first matchdays are on September 17-18, 2024 and runs to matchday eight on January 28-29, 2025. The playoff round begins a fortnight later and falls in line with a similar match calendar.
Teams are expected to boost their bank balance with two more games, added money from an extra home gate through four-match packages and rising TV and pool shares which will make Aleksander Ceferin's bold vision for the Champions League the place to be.
- Tournament increasing from 32 to 36 teams
- A guarantee of eight games for all teams who have automatically qualified. Up from six.
- A league format where teams will face eight different opponents on one occasion
- Teams that finish in top eight are straight into knockouts
- Teams who finish between ninth and 24th will face off in a playoff round which brings in two more fixtures (10) in total
- No dropdown to the Europa League for any teams and the sides who finish between 25th and 36th exit instantly
