Champions League: Hearts and Celtic secure places in qualifiers

The Premiership winners go through to the play-off round – a stage where Celtic lost to Kazakh side Kairat Almaty earlier in the season.

Hearts will hope it is them, rather than Celtic, who enter the qualifiers at that point as it means they have won their first title since 1960.

They can ensure they avoid defeat at Celtic Park on Saturday by beating Falkirk at home on Wednesday. If they win in Glasgow, what happens in midweek – when Celtic also travel to Motherwell – is irrelevant.

Hearts last qualified for the Champions League after the 2005–06 season, when they finished second to Celtic.

They defeated Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the second qualifying round before losing to AEK Athens in the next round.

Rangers, meanwhile, will be in the Conference League qualifiers if Celtic fail to win the Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline Athletic. In that event, Danny Rohl’s side will advance to the preliminary round of the Europa League.