Celtic head to Villa Park with a place in the Champions League playoffs secured; however, there is an outside chance that the Hoops could seal a place in the next round with a win and results going their way.
Brendan Rodgers’ side currently sit 18th in the table. The good news is that they won’t finish 24th, the last place to make it through to the Champions League playoffs.
A defeat against Villa means Celtic could finish anywhere between 18th and 23rd, with the hope that the Hoops can finish as high as possible in the table to receive the best draw possible.
A draw would mean Celtic could finish as high as 13th, where Brest currently sit, or as low as 22nd, with all teams in action on Wednesday in the Champions League. It’s set to be a dramatic night, comparable to the last day of a league season, where results go around, meaning anything can happen.
A win could see Celtic finish as high as 5th, where Atlético Madrid currently sit on 15 points; however, that would require all results between 5th and 17th to go the Hoops’ way.
If Celtic do seal a place in the last 16, it would mean avoiding the playoffs and going straight into the next round, with prize money of €11 million for doing so.
However, with a place confirmed in the knockout playoffs, that means Celtic are currently set to gain €1 million for their efforts. Showing that if Celtic can secure a place in the next round through a top 8 finish or by winning a two-game playoff, the financial rewards are significantly greater.
Opta gives Celtic a 1% chance of finishing in the top 8, with a total of seven other games needing to go the Hoops’ way for a dream last-16 place.
