It might be a dead rubber but it will be alive with meaning.

Celtic's concluding Group E contest with Villarreal will not decide which of the two advance to the last 16 of this season's Champions League but its outcome continues to be of consequence.

Failure to beat the Spanish, and secure the subsequent two UEFA coefficient points could mean that Scotland's two representatives in the tournament in season 2010/11 will both be forced to play two qualifying rounds to reach the gilded group stages.

The abject failure of Scottish sides in continental combat this term - as yet failing to win a single match - has left them in 32nd place in the rankings, behind clubs from Lithuania, Bosnia and Ireland. That, too, comes months after finishing fifth in the last campaign.

Thankfully, the Byzantine entry criteria is judged on a five-season basis but, even then, Scotland have slipped from 10th position in the overall list down to 12th. Turkey and Ukraine have benefited and a further slip will mean the loss of the automatic group stage place awarded to the winners of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League in 2010/11.

Celtic winning their final tie would bolster Scotland's points tally but the results of Olympiakos and Panathinaikos could allow Greece to take that coveted group spot and condemn both representatives from this country to two early-season qualifiers.

Switzerland, too, were a threat until FC Basle's defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukraine last night ended their European aspirations and those of their nation, for the season.

The Greek sides, though, remain a substantial danger. Panathinaikos need only avoid defeat in their final match at home to Anorthosis Famagusta to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League after last night's splendid with over Inter in Milan. Olympiakos, meanwhile, are bottom of their UEFA Cup section but still have at least three matches left to play.

To compound the misery, should Celtic fail to beat a Villarreal side already through to the knockout stages, it will be the first season not one Scottish club has won a game.

Three draws are the best results so far, Celtic claiming points from their opener with Aalborg and at home to Manchester United, and Rangers emerging from the first leg with FBK Kaunas goalless.

Their fellow representative must shoulder the blame too. Motherwell and Queen of the South failed to take any points from the UEFA Cup, while Hibernian's Intertoto Cup involvement is best forgotten.

The search for positives is an arduous one but some rays of hope remain. While this season's points total will be a scar on Scotland's record over the next five years, the country stands to shed two relatively meagre tallies from 2004/05 and 2005/06 - figures smaller than those attributed to their nearest rivals.

In addition, next season's European places remain intact, with five teams involved in the Champions League and the Europa League - the rebranded UEFA Cup. The Scottish champions will go into the group stages of the premier competition, with the runners up entering the third qualifying round. The third and fourth place sides in the Premier League, as well as the Homecoming Cup winners, will enter the Europa League as a consequence of the Intertoto Cup being scrapped and its place being made mandatory.

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