Rangers beat a team ranked higher than the one Celtic lost to.
Rangers are into the next round of the Europa League after a goalless draw in Slovenia last night.
Steven Gerrard’s side had beaten Maribor 3-1 in the first leg.
Rangers are joined in the next round by Celtic, who dropped out of Champions League qualifying this week.
UEFA’s club rankings show Rangers’ result to be particularly impressive, and Celtic’s defeat a little worrying by comparison.
Maribor, defeated by Rangers, are ranked as Europe’s 94th best team.
AEK, victorious against Celtic, have a ranking of 204th best in Europe.
In recent seasons there has been no contest between the two Scottish teams, but confidence is growing at Rangers that they are on an upward trajectory while Celtic are stagnating.
AEK Athens’ ranking will likely rise sharply after the win, while Maribor’s will plummet after their European nomination.
It is in stark contrast to last season, when Rangers were beaten by Progres Niederkorn, currently ranked as 440th best in Europe.
Celtic have a ranking of the 48th best team, while Rangers are unranked, for now.
In a way that makes Steven Gerrard’s accomplishments already even more impressive, while Celtic’s defeat shows how badly they have underperformed.
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