Who Rangers and Celtic could face in the Champions League group stage - best/worst case scenarios

Celtic and Rangers will discover their Champions League group stage opponents this afternoon when the draw takes place in Istanbul.

The Ibrox club joined their Old Firm rivals, who qualified automatically as domestic champions, after defeating PSV Eindhoven 1-0 on Wednesday night to complete a 3-2 aggregate victory.

Scotland will have two representatives in the group phase of UEFA’s premier club competition for the first time since 2007/08 and both sides are set to receive huge financial rewards.

An initial starting fee of around €14.8million for participating in the group stages will be secured at the beginning of September, with some of Europe’s elite clubs expected to visit Glasgow in the coming months.

With Celtic and Rangers both in Pot 4 of the draw, potential glamour ties lie ahead with fans excitement continuing to grow.

Many will want a tough group against the heavyweights of world football, while others would prefer the balance of a European giant but maintain the possibility of finishing in the top two places.

With a bit of luck, both teams will be aiming to advance to the last 16 which would be an incredible feat.

Which teams is in which pot?

POT 1 - Real Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Manchester City, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Porto, Ajax

POT 2 - Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, RB Leipzig, Tottenham Hotspur

POT 3 - Borussia Dortmund, Red Bull Salzburg, Shakthar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Napoli, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Bayer Leverkusen

POT 4 - Club Brugge, CELTIC, Marseille, Viktoria Plzen, Maccabi Haifa, RANGERS, FC Copenhagen, Dinamo Zagreb

Best/Worst case scenarios

CELTIC: Ange Postecoglou’s side earned automatic qualifcation after they were crowned Scottish Premiership last season.

RANGERS: Last season’s beaten Europa League finalists progressed through two qualifying rounds against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and PSV Eindhoven.

According to UEFA’s recent five-year coefficient, the most difficult draw would be: Bayern Munich (Pot 1), Liverpool (Pot 2) and either Red Bull Salzburg or Shakthar Donetsk (Pot 3).

However, on paper the worst case scenario would be: Real Madrid or Bayern Munich (Pot 1), Liverpool (Pot 2) and Inter Milan (Pot 3).

On a positive note, going by UEFA’s coefficient, the ‘easiest’ group would be: AC Milan (Pot 1), Tottenham Hotspur (Pot 2) and Bayer Leverkusen (Pot 3)

However, on paper the best case scenario would be: Eintracht Frankfurt (Pot 1), RB Leipzig (Pot 2), Sporting Lisbon (Pot 3).

What the SPFL chief executive had to say

Neil Doncaster issued his own personal message of congratulations to both clubs, insisting it will provide Scotland’s coefficient ranking with a massive boost.

He said: “I would like to warmly congratulate everyone connected with Rangers on reaching the UEFA Champions League group stages.

“Rangers were worthy winners over the two matches against PSV Eindhoven, and the players and coaching team deserve enormous praise for how well they hae performed in European competitions in recent times.

“It is great to have two Scottish clubs back in the Champions League group stages in Rangers and Celtic for the first time since 2007/08 and it will be a real benefit to the country’s UEFA coefficient.”