NEIL LENNON praised Celtic AND Steven Gerrard’s side after last night’s Europa League results hoisted Scotland’s club coefficient to new heights – raising the prospect of TWO teams entering the Champions League qualifiers in season 2021/22.
The Hoops overcame Rennes 3-1 at Parkhead with goals from Lewis Morgan, Ryan Christie and Mikey Johnston while, earlier in the evening, the Ibrox side earned a 2-2 draw against Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
The results mean the nation has now gatecrashed the top 15 of the club coefficient as things stand. Offering the prospect of two Champions League qualifiers and an extra team in the Europa League the season after next, Lennon told the Daily Mail: “It’s great news for the Scottish game. Rangers have done fantastically well in their group, as well, to take it to the last game.
“We want to get back up there and get people talking about us again. I go back to the scenes we saw in Rome and what it meant to the fans and the players. They got a real taste of it then and all of a sudden it really kicks in – that these are special nights and you have to make the most of them.
“You have a long domestic season where you try to win trophies. But the reward is Europe. So you want to compete and learn from it as a player.
“So, to be 15th at the minute shows we’ve made really good strides in the last 12 months.”
The Hoops have been unstoppable in their Europa League adventure with four wins from five games – beating Lazio 2-1 home and away – while also gaining revenge on Champions League conquerors Cluj with a 2-0 success at the start of last month.
They will bring down the curtain on a highly-impressive group campaign with a trip to Romania a week on Thursday – four days after the Berfred League Cup Final against Gerrard’s Govan outfit at Hampden.
