Boss Arda Turan has openly spoken about the path to Europe's elite competition after seeing off AZ Alkmaar
20:57, 16 Apr 2026
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(Image: Getty Images)
Shakhtar Donetsk have moved a step closer to derail Rangers' bid for direct entry into the Champions League next season.
The Glasgow giants are hoping to win the Scottish Premiership title and capitalise on a UEFA loophole that will secure a spot in next season's league phase.
This year’s Champions League winners will automatically qualify for next season’s league phase, and the newly-crowned Kings of Europe are expected to earn a place via their domestic position - with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid joining Arsenal and Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals on Tuesday night.
That means that the club that holds the best individual coefficient of all the domestic champions involved in qualifying will enter directly instead of navigating their original round.
The Light Blues slipped into second in the five-year club coefficient table after a disastrous campaign in Europe this term - which came to a halt in the league phase of the Europa League.
Olympiacos leapfrogged the Glasgow giants after progressing to the Champions League knockout phase this term, but are five points off the summit in their domestic league and sit in third spot.
But Shakhtar have put Rangers on high alert following their 5-3 aggregate Conference League quarter-final win over AZ Alkmaar. The Ukrainian side sit third in the coefficient standings.
Victory over the Dutch side moves Shakhtar (56.25) within five touching distance of Rangers (59.25). The 2-2 draw in Alkmaar on Thursday night secured an additional coefficient point, with 0.5 additionally added for progressing to the semi-final stage.
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Rangers manager Danny Rohl leads the Rangers players in applauding the fans
The Ukrainian side now know they need to claim at least three more points from their remaining fixtures to snag the golden ticket. They will play the winner of Crystal Palace and Fiorentina. The Premier League side took a convincing 3-0 win to Italy.
Clubs receive two points for a victory and one for a draw. An additional 0.5 would be added to Shakhtar's tally if they reach the showpiece final.
After the game, boss Arda Turan - who had played down his side's chances of making a mark on Europe last week - admitted he was eyeing the Champions League as he counted up the coefficient points.
He said: "I know we need at least 4.5 points. I knew that from the start. Of course, we want to get back into the Champions League.
"If we want that, we need to win. It would be a great achievement for us and for the country."
Domestically, the battle for glory in Ukraine is set to go to the wire - but Shakhtar are in the driving seat. They sit second in the table, but level on points with leaders LNZ after the 2-2 draw with the table-toppers last weekend having played a game less.
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Danny Rohl's team are the only side from Scotland that can take advantage of the UEFA loophole as title winners.
If Hearts or Celtic win the league, then they will enter at the play-off stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League, meaning they will have to overcome a two-legged tie to secure a £30million ticket to the league phase.
That’s because Scotland have slid down UEFA’s coefficient rankings into 18th – losing a guaranteed spot in the competition.