The Ukrainian side are closing in on the Light Blues and Olympiacos in the five-year club coefficient table
(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Surging Shakhtar Donetsk could derail Rangers bid to enter the Champions League directly next season through the UEFA back door.
The Glasgow giants are hoping to win the Scottish Premiership title and capitalise on a UEFA loophole to secure automatic entry to next season’s league phase.
This year’s Champions League winners will automatically qualify for next season’s league phase, but if the newly-crowned Kings of Europe have already earned a place via their domestic position, then the club with the best individual coefficient of all the domestic champions involved in qualifying will enter directly instead of navigating their original round.
The Light Blues slipped into second in the five-year club coefficient table after Olympiacos leapfrogged the Glasgow giants after progressing to the Champions League knockout phase this term.
But the Greek giants domestic form has handed Rangers an extra incentive in the title race – as both clubs must win their respective titles to stand a chance. Defeat to AEK last weekend leaves Olympiacos five points off the summit and sitting in third spot.
But Shakhtar will have Rangers on alert following their 3-0 Conference League quarter-final win over AZ Alkmaar. The Ukrainian side sit third in the coefficient standings.
Victory over the Dutch side in the first leg move Shakhtar (54.75) within five points of Rangers (59.25), with Arda Turan’s on course for the semi-final.
Shakhtar are set to play a minimum of three more European games this term after the convincing win over Alkmaar with two coefficient points awarded for a win by UEFA.
The Ukrainian side will play the winner of Crystal Palace against Fiorentina, with the Premier League side taking a convincing 3-0 win to Italy next week.
Domestically, the battle for glory in the Ukraine Premier League is set to go to the wire – but Shakhtar are in the driving seat. They sit second in the table, but level on points with leaders LNZ having played a game less.
With just six games remaining, Rangers remain firmly in the hunt for Premiership title glory – sitting in second spot and a point behind league leaders Hearts.
Hearts are in the SPFL Premiership driving seat with Rangers in hot pursuit(Image: Malcolm Mackenzie/Getty Images)
Danny Rohl’s team are the only side that can take advantage of the UEFA loophole as title winners.
If Hearts or Celtic win the league then they will enter at the play-off stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League, meaning they will have to overcome a two-legged tie to secure a £30million ticket to the league phase.
That’s because Scotland have slid down UEFA’s coefficient rankings into 17th – losing a guaranteed spot in the competition.
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