CELTIC and Rangers are out of Europe for this season, but they have done enough between them to guarantee Scotland move back up the Uefa co-efficient rankings.

Former Old Firm foes, Shakhtar Donetsk, were the final threat to Scotland's place as Ukraine were breathing down our necks in 11th spot.

But their exit to Uefa Cup holders Seville last night removed that worry, and Scotland's position in the all-important entry table is now secure.

Holding onto 10th spot means the SPL champions next season, 2007-08, will be in line to go straight back into the Champions League group stage for 2008-09.

That would still be dependant on next season's Champions League winners qualifying through their league position, freeing up an extra group entry spot.

Celtic made the most of that £10million-plus golden ticket this season. They were able to by-pass the qualifiers, courtesy of Barcelona winning the trophy last May and qualifying through their La Liga finishing position.

But Celtic's shock Euro exit last season at the hands of Artmedia Bratislava contributed to Scotland dropping down to 11th position for next season.

That means the SPL champions this time around - almost certainly Gordon Strachan's side - will have to contest the third and final qualifying round in August, while the runners-up - Rangers will virtually book their spot if they beat Aberdeen tomorrow - will have to start in late July in qualifying round two.

It's a tremendous effort from our top two clubs as there was even a danger that, if Scottish teams had not racked up the points this season, we could have slipped out of the top 15 - and lost one of our two Champions League spots.

The early exits of Gretna and Hearts set the alarm bells ringing as they accrued only three co-efficient points between them.

With all points gained divided by the number of clubs who represent the country - in Scotland's case four - it increased the pressure on Celtic in the Champions League and Rangers in the Uefa Cup.

Both more than answered the call, with Rangers collecting one of their best-ever points totals, 15.2275, in the Uefa Cup run which ended in Pamplona, and Celtic gathering 13.2275 points by reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.

When the calculations were completed, that gave Scotland a co-efficient of 6.750 for the season, and moved us back up to a provisional 10th spot.

Russia are in ninth place - the cut-off position for automatic direct entry to the Champions League group stage.

But although all their clubs are also out of the European competitions this season, they have done enough to shoot Russia almost six points ahead of Scotland.

They will be the target for the forthcoming seasons. But Scotland will do well just to retain 10th spot as some lucrative seasons' tallies are about to drop off the five-year running total used to calculate our ranking.

Celtic's run to the Uefa Cup Final in 2003 contributed to the useful 7.375 earned by Scotland that season. But that campaign drops off after next season.

The Parkhead club got to the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup the following season, after finishing third in their Cham-pions League group, while Rangers qualified for the group stage.

That was enough to give Scotland another useful 7.375 points. But that will be next to slip off the radar, leaving us vulnerable if our clubs do not continue to be as successful as this term.

The value of automatic qualification - or simply participation - in the Champions League group stage is underlined every time Rangers and Celtic publish their annual accounts.

The cash injection can be anything between £10m and £16m, depending on progress. And, although no club can budget for this income, it is a target set for players and managers every season.

The good runs in Europe this year have also increased the likelihood of favourable draws for Celtic and Rangers as both clubs have moved up the seedings.

Celtic saw the benefit of this when they made it into Pot Two for this term's Champions League.

It was the first time they had achieved this high position, and it was surely no coincidence that they progressed from the group for the first time.

If they can retain their title this time, Strachan's side will have to wait to see if they are in Pot Two again next season.

They are currently 22nd in the European club rankings, but not all of the teams ahead of them will qualify for the competition through their league positions.

Of course, before they can look forward to the group stage draw, Celtic must seal the SPL title and negotiate the third and final qualifying round.

Celts would at least be seeded for that. But no- one at Parkhead needs any reminding that was the case when they were knocked out in Basel or Bratislava in recent seasons.

This time they would drop into the Uefa Cup and not out of Europe completely, as happened last year when they crashed against Artmedia.

The SPL runners-up run that risk as they will enter the Champions League at the second qualifying round, where failure means Europe is over before the season even begins.

If, as seems likely, Rangers can hold off the challenge from Aberdeen for second spot in the league, they will also have the advantage of being seeded for the two Champions League qualifying rounds they would face.

Once again, two Uefa Cup places are also up for grabs, with the Scottish Cup winners going straight into the first round, and the third-placed side in the SPL heading for the final qualifying stage.