THE European Super League has crumbled under the weight of extraordinary fan pressure.
But the winds of change are still set to blow over football with the potential formation of a BRITISH Premier League.
No sooner had the dust settled on the failed plan to launch a new breakaway, midweek European competition has another fresh plot been born.
Under the proposals, Celtic and Rangers would head south of the border to join England’s elite.
Not only that, the top-flight would be reduced from 20 to 18 teams.
The plan – which will receive backing from the UK Government, Fifa and Uefa – will also see a post-season play-off format introduced.
Much like in rugby and American sports, the final standings after what would become a 34-game season would NOT see a champion crowned.
First would play fourth and second play third, with the winner of each clash competing in a championship game.
Despite all the changes, the biggest for most is finally seeing the two giants of Scottish football joining forces with England’s elite.
There were discussions during the 1990s and 2000s about Celtic and Rangers joining the Premier League, with the two having dominated the Scottish top-flight for nearly 40 years now.
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No other side has won the Scottish title since the 1984-85 Aberdeen squad managed by none other than Sir Alex Ferguson.
But now it’s believed both Celtic and 2020-21 champions Rangers are willing to leave the glory behind to slug it out with England’s giants, keen to see a spike in interest from fans across the world, sponsors and broadcasters.
How have the two clubs fared historically against English opponents?
In history, Celtic have played English clubs 20 times in competitive games, winning seven, drawing seven and losing six.
Rangers have played 14, winning just THREE while losing seven times.
Celtic average 1.4 points per game, with Rangers further back on just 0.9 – relegation territory over the course of a full season.
Most-recently, the Hoops played Manchester City in the 2016-17 Champions League group stage.
That year, they drew both games – including a 3-3 thriller.
CELTIC vs ENGLISH OPPOSITION
Apr 14, 1966 – CWC semi-finals – Celtic 1-0 Liverpool
Apr 19, 1966 – CWC semi-finals – Liverpool 2-0 Celtic
Apr 1, 1970 – European Cup semi-final – Leeds 0-1 Celtic
Apr 15, 1970 – European Cup semi-final – Celtic 2-1 Leeds
Nov 23, 1983 – Uefa Cup quarter-final – Nottingham Forest 0-0 Celtic
Dec 7, 1983 – Uefa Cup quarter-final – Celtic 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Sep 16, 1997 – Uefa Cup last-32 – Celtic 2-2 Liverpool
Sep 30, 1997 – Uefa Cup last-32 – Liverpool 0-0 Celtic
Oct 31, 2002 – Uefa Cup second-round – Celtic 1-0 Blackburn
Nov 14, 2002 – Uefa Cup second-round – Blackburn 0-2 Celtic
Mar 13, 2003 – Uefa Cup quarter-final – Celtic 1-1 Liverpool
Mar 20, 2003 – Uefa Cup quarter-final – Liverpool 0-2 Celtic
Sep 13, 2006 – Champions League group – Man Utd 3-2 Celtic
Nov 21, 2006 – Champions League group – Celtic 1-0 Man Utd
Oct 21, 2008 – Champions League group – Man Utd 3-0 Celtic
Nov 5, 2008 – Champions League group – Celtic 1-1 Man Utd
Aug 18, 2009 – Champions League qualifying – Celtic 0-2 Arsenal
Aug 26, 2009 – Champions League qualifying – Arsenal 3-1 Celtic
Sep 28, 2016 – Champions League group – Celtic 3-3 Man City
Dec 6, 2016 – Champions League group – Man City 1-1 Celtic
In recent years they have also played Arsenal in the qualifying rounds in 2009 – losing 5-1 on aggregate – and Manchester United, in the 2006-07 and 2008-09 group stages.
Of those four games, Celtic won one, lost two and drew one.
The Hoops also played Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the 2002-03 Uefa Cup – winning 3-1 on aggregate – having beaten Blackburn 3-0 in the second round.
Celtic have also played Liverpool in the last-32 of the Uefa Cup, losing on away goals in 1997-98, Nottingham Forest in the quarter-finals of the same competition – losing 2-1 – and Leeds in the European Cup semis, winning 3-1.
Their only other clash with English opponents came in 1965-66, when they lost to Liverpool 2-1 in the Cup Winners Cup semis.
Rangers, meanwhile, last faced Premier League opposition in the 2010-11 Champions League group stage.
That year, they faced off with Man Utd, losing 1-0 at home and drawing 0-0 at Old Trafford.
Prior to that, they played United again in the 2003-04 group stage, losing 1-0 and 3-0.
RANGERS vs ENGLISH OPPOSITION
Mar 29, 1961 – Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final – Rangers 2-0 Wolves
Apr 19, 1961 – Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final – Wolves 1-1 Rangers
Oct 31, 1962 – Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final – Tottenham 5-2 Rangers
Nov 14, 1962 – Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final – Rangers 2-3 Tottenham
Mar 26, 1968 – Inter-City Fairs Cup quarter-final – Rangers 0-0 Leeds
Apr 9, 1968 – Inter-City Fairs Cup quarter-final – Leeds 2-0 Rangers
May 14, 1969 – Inter-City Fairs Cup semi-final – Rangers 0-0 Newcastle
May 21, 1969 – Inter-City Fairs Cup semi-final – Newcastle 2-0 Rangers
Oct 21, 1992 – Champions League second-round – Rangers 2-1 Leeds
Nov 4, 1992 – Champions League second-round – Leeds 1-2 Rangers
Oct 22, 2003 – Champions League group – Rangers 0-1 Man Utd
Nov 4, 2003 – Champions League group – Man Utd 3-0 Rangers
Sep 14, 2010 – Champions League group – Man Utd 0-0 Rangers
Nov 24, 2010 – Champions League group – Rangers 0-1 Man Utd
Rangers beat Leeds 4-2 on aggregate in the second round of the 1992-93 Champions League.
Before that they hadn’t played English opposition since 1969, when they lost their Inter-Cities Fairs Cup semi-final with Newcastle 2-0.
A year earlier, they’d lost 2-0 to Leeds in the quarter-finals of the same comptition.
Rangers lost a thrilling Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final tie with Tottenham 8-4 on aggregate in 1962.
In 1961, they beat Wolves 3-1 in the semis of the same tournament.
But playing a domestic game with any English club will be uncharted territory for Rangers and Celtic.
How will they fare if the plans for a British Premier League come to fruition?
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
