Where Celtic, Rangers and Hearts sit in Europe as one team qualifies and coefficient suffers a blow

There were no Scottish victories in Europe this week although Celtic, Rangers and Hearts remain well placed to qualify for the knockout stages of their respective competitions - with one side already through.

Celtic were a little frustrated after a goalless draw at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League with the feeling afterwards that the match was a missed opportunity to end a seven-year wait for an away win in the group stages.

Rangers were happier with the 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League given the size and stature of the opposition but Philippe Clement felt his side deserved the three points after a positive performance.

Hearts, meanwhile, suffered a third successive defeat in the Conference League after going down 2-0 to Copenhagen in Denmark in a one-sided game where they failed to register a single shot on target.

Here is what the midweek results mean for each club - as well as the all-important Scottish coefficient - and what they now require to qualify for the knock-out stages.

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Celtic on the cusp

The point gained in Zagreb moved Celtic on to nine points from six matches and with a zero goal difference. It leaves them 21st in the Champions League standings - three places inside the play-off positions - and on the cusp of qualifiying for the knock-out stages. Brendan Rodgers' side will secure a top 24 finish and a place in the play-off round if they win their next match at home to Swiss side Young Boys, who are already eliminated and sit bottom of the 36-team table after six straight defeats. A draw could even be enough but Celtic will be odds-on to get the three points from the January 22 encounter that will take the pressure off ahead of their final league fixture away to Aston Villa one week later. Celtic still have an outside chance of making the top eight - and qualifying directly for the last 16 - if they win both remaining games to finish on 15 points.

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Rangers already through

Collecting an 11-point haul from their six matches to date has ensured that Rangers have already qualified for Europa League knock-out stages. They are guaranteed to finish inside the top 24 places required for a place in the play-off round, however, they will now be eyeing a top eight finish, which would secure direct passage into the last 16 of the competition. Rangers currently hold eighth position in the table, one place behind Manchester United, who they play next at Old Trafford on January 23 before finishing at home to Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise seven days later. Two victories would guarantee top eight, while four points would also likely be enough, depending on other results. Even if they fail to win any of their remaining matches, it will go down as an impressive league phase campaign for Rangers given the tough schedule they were handed.

Frankie Kent had to come off injured against Copenhagen. | SNS Group

Hearts' final chance

Three straight defeats in the Conference League have left Hearts needing a positive result in their final league phase fixture at home to Moldovan side Petrocub next Thursday to secure a play-off berth. The Jambos started off their campaign in positive fashion with two victories over Dinamo Minsk and Omonoia but defeats to Heidenheim, Cercle Brugge and Copenhagen have left them with work to do. Their six-point tally has them sitting 23rd - one place inside the play-off spots - with one match to go. The good news for the Jambos is that they finish against their lowest ranked opponent with Petrocub sitting second bottom of the Conference League with one point from their five matches. However, their last two results - a 1-1 draw away to İstanbul Başakşehir and a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Real Betis - shows that the Moldovans will be competitive and Hearts will need to be at their best at Tynecastle to secure qualification. A win would guarantee progress to the play-off round, while a point may also be enough depending on results elsewhere.

Coefficient blow

Two draws and one defeat in Europe this week meant it was bad news for the Scottish coefficient as pointed out by @scotlandscoeff1 on X. Celtic and Rangers each contributed 0.2 points to take our tally for the season to six points, however, it wasn't enough to prevent Scotland from slipping down to 15th in the UEFA rankings. The gap to 12th place - which guarantees the 2025/26 Scottish Cup winners a place in the Conference League phase at worst - has also increased after an excellent week for Greece, who shot up the rankings thanks to two wins and a draw for their European representatives this week. Scotland need to hold onto at least 15th place to ensure they keep five teams in Europe and two teams in Champions League qualifying, with Denmark, who have two representatives left in Europe, very close behind in 16th. It is therefore hugely important that Celtic, Rangers and Hearts all make it through to the knock-out stages for the sake of the coefficient.