2011/12 Champions League

[pete 2,499]

The winners of the Scottish Premier League are expected to be handed a bye to the third qualifying round of the 2011/12 Champions League, following Barcelona and Manchester United�s progression to the final.

 

This season�s SPL champions, the only Scottish participants in the Champions League next season, are currently due to enter the competition at the second qualifying round stage.

 

However, as Barcelona and Manchester United have already qualified for the Champions League next campaign on account of their domestic league placings, precedent suggests Scotland�s participant will now skip a qualifying round.

 

In recent years, a place in the following season�s competition has been reserved for the tournament winners. UEFA have not yet confirmed if this will be the case for the 2011/12 season but if the pattern is continued, the SPL winners will benefit from the spot not being required.

 

In that eventuality, the league champions will only have to play two qualifying rounds, as opposed to three. It is expected the participating club would then be seeded for the champions� third qualifying round, which features 20 teams.

 

As Danish champions, Copenhagen are also expected to be seeds and are likely to be joined by the champions of the Swiss and Belgian top flights. Belarusians BATE Borisov and Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb are also expected to be seeded.

 

The non-seeds will likely be comprised of teams progressing from the second qualifying round, which features 34 clubs. Rosenborg, APOEL Nicosia, HJK Helsinki, Ekranas, Skonto Riga, Bangor City, Breidablik, Malmo FF and Shamrock Rovers are amongst some of the teams already guaranteed to enter the competition at that stage.

 

Progression from the third qualifying round would then see the Scottish team play in the champions� play-off stage, which features the 10 winners from the third qualifying round. Clubs from England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France will definitely not be in opposition, with their clubs on the non-champions path.

 

Elimination from the Champions League would see the Scottish club drop into the Europa League, entering at the play-off round and group stage respectively.

 

Rangers profited from the additional qualifying spot last campaign, with Scotland 13th on the access list for European competition for the 2010/11 season. That placement only guaranteed two clubs in the qualifying stages but Inter Milan�s victory ensured the reigning SPL champions went immediately into the group stages.

 

Scotland�s participation in the Europa League will remain unaffected, with the Scottish Cup winners and the team which finishes second in the SPL due to enter in the third of four qualifying rounds. The third placed team in the SPL will go in at the second stage, unless Celtic fail to win the league and subsequently win the Scottish Cup.

 

If that occurs, the team which finishes third in the SPL will move up to play in the third qualifying round, with the fourth placed club gaining entry to Europe in the second qualifying round.

 

Scotland will again have two teams in the qualifying rounds for the 2012/13 Champions League, owing mainly to Rangers' good form in the 2010/11 season in both the Champions and Europa Leagues.

 

I put this in here because we are the only team it applies to.