As Rangers risk surrendering a Champions League windfall to Celtic, Spanish outfit Villarreal may be about to spoil the party for both clubs.
The La Liga side have defied the odds to pip Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate and head through to the semi-finals of the elite European tournament.
It’s a major achievement by Unai Emery and his side and should they go on to pick up the trophy, it will have a huge domino effect in Scotland.
Champions League qualification is all but guaranteed for the Scottish Premiership winners this season should a team who qualify through their domestic league pick up the trophy.
But with Villarreal 7th in La Liga and a sizeable 11 points off a Champions League spot this is unlikely.
Having beaten the 2020 champions, the Yellow Submarine will fear no-one and will likely face Liverpool in the semis, Jurgen Klopp’s side holding a 3-1 lead over Benfica from the first leg.
Villarreal threaten Rangers/Celtic Champions League bounty
All eyes in Scottish football will be on the clash to see whether or not one of the nation’s clubs will be guaranteed a Champions League windfall.
Worth between £30m and £40m depending on where you get your news, Rangers have played the biggest role in securing the coefficient boost for their performance in Europe beyond Christmas in recent season.
It has been painful for Rangers fans to see their side let all their good work in Europe slip by surrendering a six point lead to Celtic since January.
Whilst there is little that can soothe the pain of surrendering a title to your biggest rivals, the notion that Villarreal could prevent Celtic getting their hands on that money will boost Gers fans.
If the Scottish Premiership situation doesn’t change, we suspect quite a few Rangers supporters might be cheering on Villarreal in the Champions League.
Especially if Rangers go on to perform a European shock of their own and gain automatic Champions League entry by winning the Europa League.
Meanwhile, Rangers’ very own Gary Lineker has been promoting a major brand of crisps in his homeland.
