What are European stakes for Scottish clubs in closing games?
Following Rangers' defeat by Hearts on Monday, it now appears to be a head-to-head between leaders and reigning champions Celtic for the title. And Motherwell are a healthy six points clear of Hibernian in the race for the last guaranteed European spot from Scottish Premiership placings. The team finishing top of the pile is again scheduled to enter the Champions League play-off, needing to win that two-legged tie to reach the 36-team league phase.
Last term, Celtic were stunned by Kazakh side Kairat Almaty, losing on penalties after two dreadful goalless draws. Hearts would be unseeded because of their low club coefficient, but Celtic would have a good chance of being seeded if they win the title. Rangers - should there be an unlikely series of Premiership results - could still go straight into the league phase because of something Uefa calls "title-holder rebalancing" depending on the outcome in other countries.
The team finishing second in the Premiership enter the Champions League's second qualifying round. Win that and a third round awaits, before the play-off for the league phase. Losing in the second qualifying round of the Champions League would result in a Europa League third qualifying round spot.
And defeat in the Champions League third qualifying round has the consolation of a Europa League play-off. Champions League play-off losers enter the Europa League direct - as Rangers did last term, when they beat Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen before a play-off thrashing from Club Brugge caused them to drop down. In recent years, the prize for lifting the Scottish Cup was a Europa League play-off, with a guaranteed parachute into the Conference League's league stage.
Hearts and Aberdeen have benefited in recent seasons, but that is gone as Scotland's ranking slides. Now it is a place in Europa League third qualifying round, with a drop into the Conference League play-off in the event of defeat. Should finalists Celtic beat Dunfermline Athletic at Hampden and also finish in the top two then the competition's European standing is transferred to the team finishing third.