Old Firm still have chance to star on a Euro stage

WITH Celtic and Rangers both into the group stage of the Europa League, no doubt cynics south of the border will point out the big boys from England are all still in the Champions League.

That is true but the Scottish clubs should only look with some envy at that situation and concentrate all their thoughts and energies on the lesser of the two European competitions.

Over the next few months, some well-known names will be coming to Glasgow, contests that, even if the crowds are missing, will keep Scotland’s two biggest teams on TV throughout Europe.

However, we now have a turn to the international scene. Next week, on October 8, Scotland has another match in a major competition. Unlike the two played in September, which were in the Nations League, this one is a Euro 2020 play-off semifinal against Israel. Confused?

Three days after the Israeli match, the Scotland squad travel east to face Slovakia in the Nations league, before returning home to play the Czech Republic at Hampden in the same competition on October 14.

And if we manage to beat Israel, we will then meet the winners of the Norway-Serbia – clash away from home – in a Euro 2020 play-off final on November 12 before taking on two more Nations League group matches in Slovakia on November 15 and in Israel three days later. Nothing complicated about that!

In between, of course, are the domestic competitions so wherever our international stars are based, they can expect to be involved in quite a number of matches in the next few weeks.

And all this taking place in stadia bereft of the usual vociferous crowds that provide such an essential atmosphere.

The absence of crowds also means a vital source of income has been withdrawn, a loss that must be particularly felt by the smaller clubs. There are always those who say these clubs should fold or at least amalgamate with bigger contemporaries but most have been in existence for many years and are regarded with affection by the folk in their area.

I’d be sorry to see some of these sides go to the wall and hope the authorities can find a way to provide some muchneeded income to all of them.

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