Scottish football clubs record over English teams may surprise you (up to a point)

Even at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, there were gasps as the Europa League draw revealed several ‘Battle of Britain’ games between Scottish and English clubs. "Excting British derbies, how can we start better?" remarked UEFA deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti.

Rangers are set to face Tottenham Hotspur, managed by ex-Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, and Manchester United. Added to Celtic’s tie against Aston Villa in the Champions League, some mouth-watering sporting contests loom.

Of course, few will give the Scottish clubs much chance. However, we’ve been here before and highly confident Premier League teams have come unstuck.

Up until the 2006/07 season, when Celtic beat Man U 1-0, Scottish clubs actually had a better record over English teams, with 13 wins to 12. An Ally McCoist-inspired Rangers beat Leeds United 2-1 in 92-93. And Aberdeen triumphed 3-1 over Ipswich in 81/82.

We may be underdogs, but would we have it any other way? When we are being written off, there’s all the more glory to be had. And if the worst happens, well, that’s just what everyone expected, right?