There are still three Scottish teams in Europe ahead of the group stages of the three continental competitions.
Edinburgh rivals Hearts and Hibs both failed to make it through qualifying in the Europa Conference League but Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen continue to fly the flag for Scotland.
Here we take a look at the results so far and the prospects for the remaining Scottish teams in Europe in the 2023-24 season.
Celtic
Competition: Champions League
Progress so far: As champions, Celtic went straight through to the group stage.
Opponents: Brendan Rodgers’ men were placed in Group E alongside Eredivisie champions Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid of Spain and Italian side Lazio. It means they have avoided some of the continent’s biggest teams and their campaign begins with a trip to Holland on September 19. Celtic then host Lazio before a double header with Atletico, followed by a trip to Rome before the group stage ends with the return match against Feyenoord.
Prospects: Celtic are the outsiders in the Champions League Group E betting at 11/1 to top the group while they are 11/4 to qualify for the knockout stage with a top-two finish. Finishing third would see them drop into the Europa League.
Rangers
Competition: Europa League
Progress so far: Rangers got past Servette to set up a Champions League play-off rematch with last season’s opponents PSV Eindhoven but the Dutch side gained revenge as a 2-2 draw at Ibrox was followed by a 5-1 rout in the second leg, meaning Rangers dropped down to the Europa League.
Opponents: Michael Beale’s men will take on Real Betis from Spain, Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic and Cypriot champions Aris Limassol.
Prospects: Rangers must put aside their Champions League disappointment quickly if they are to reproduce the success which saw them reach the 2022 final in this competition. The Light Blues are second favourites at 11/4 to win Group C but 66/1 in the Europa League winner odds.
Aberdeen
Competition: Europa Conference League
Progress so far: Aberdeen have had to settle for a place in the group stage of the Europa Conference League after a 3-1 home defeat to Swedish champions BK Hacken in the Europa League play-offs saw them lose 5-3 on aggregate.
Opponents: The Dons have been drawn in Group G alongside Eintracht Frankfurt, PAOK Athens (conquerors of Hearts in qualifying) and Helsinki. Their campaign starts on September 21 with a trip to Germany.
Prospects: Frankfurt are the top seeds in the group and beat Aberdeen’s Scottish rivals Rangers on penalties in the 2021-22 Europa League final. That makes their first game arguably the hardest but they will fancy their chances of making an impact and are 100/1 in the outright betting to go all the way and replace West Ham as champions.
Hearts
Competition: Europa Conference League
Results: Hearts produced a stunning comeback from 3-1 down on aggregate to beat Rosenborg 4-3, with Cammy Devlin netting an injury-time winner. That sent them through to the play-off round but their European dream ended when a 2-1 defeat at Tynecastle was followed by a 4-0 loss in Greece.
Hibernian
Competition: Europa Conference League
Results: Hibs had the longest qualification route of the Scottish teams in Europe and fell at the final hurdle. They lost the first leg against Inter Club D’Escaldes of Andorra but eased through 7-3 on aggregate in the end before beating Swiss side Lucerne 5-3. Hibs were no match for Aston Villa though, losing 5-0 at Easter Road and sacking manager Lee Johnson before a 3-0 defeat at Villa Park.
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