There are plenty of key places up for grabs in the Scottish Premiership with less than a month of the season left.
The league has concluded for the split, which will then see the top six and bottom six separated and booked in to face off over the final five games of 2021/22.
Despite Rangers being comfortable champions in 2020/21, their grip on the title looks in danger of slipping away and into the hands of bitter rivals Celtic. Ange Postecoglou’s side currently possesses a commanding lead at the top with five games remaining, as well as a far superior goal difference than their Glasgow adversaries.Â
Elsewhere, there’s a race for European places, and to avoid being relegated to the Scottish Championship. A snapshot of each race follows below.
Tables updated as of May 1
Scottish Premiership title race and Champions League qualification
We have an interesting Scottish Premiership title race on our hands this year – one that many prominent faces within Scottish football didn’t predict. Rangers won the league at a canter last time out, going unbeaten and finishing 25 points clear of downtrodden rivals Celtic under Steven Gerrard.Â
Fast forward a year, and Ange Postecoglou has his Hoops side sitting pretty, six points clear with three games remaining.Â
Celtic also have a convincingly superior goal difference and rode their luck to hold Rangers to a 1-1 draw on May 1. Â
The eventual title winners will gain huge rewards in both a footballing and financial sense, as they are all-but certified to enter the UEFA Champions League group stage phase due to Scotland currently being 9th in the UEFA coefficient rankings.
This scenario will happen as long as the 2021/22 Champions League winners also qualify from their league, with only Villarreal currently still in the competition and outside of the Champions League slots in their domestic top flight.
Meanwhile, second place will retain a shot at the Champions League by entering in the second qualifying round.Â
Rangers could also enter the group stage if they win the Europa League, of which they are in the semi-finals, currently 1-0 down to RB Leipzig after the first leg.
| Place | Team | Points | Games played | Goal difference | Next match |
| 1. | Celtic | 86 | 35 | +61 | Hearts (H), Sat, May 7 |
| 2. | Rangers | 80 | 35 | +42 | Dundee United (H), Sun, May 8 |
Europa Conference League qualification battle
The third- and fourth-placed sides in Scotland will enter the Europa Conference League at the third and second qualifying rounds, respectively, in 2022/23. Hearts are guaranteed third place due to being 17 points ahead of Dundee United with three games to go.
Ross County and Motherwell are also in a potential battle for continental football for the Europa Conference League
Craig Gordon. Incredible. @jallanfilms pic.twitter.com/95Mg5uqsX8
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) April 3, 2022
Scottish Cup winners and potential scenarios
There also could be further European drama, as the winners of the Scottish Cup will qualify for the Europa League playoff round. Hearts will compete in the final of the trophy, playing Rangers on May 21 in the showpiece decider.
If Rangers were to win the Scottish Cup, the Europa League playoff position would be granted to the best-placed league finisher and create a drop-down effect.
Hearts have already claimed the Europa League berth as they are guaranteed to finish 3rd, securing continental group-stage football for the first time since 2004/05 as they would drop into the Europa Conference League group stage if they were to suffer defeat in the playoff round.Â
In that case, 4th and 5th would assume the league path Europa Conference League qualifying slots.
| Place | Team | Points | Games played | Goal difference | Next match |
| 3. | Hearts | 61 | 35 | 16 | Celtic (A), Sat, May 7 |
| 4. | Dundee Utd | 44 | 35 | -6 | Rangers (A), Sun, May 8 |
| 5. | Ross County | 41 | 35 | -9 | Motherwell (H), Sat, May 7 |
| 6. | Motherwell | 40 | 35 | -15 | Ross County (A), Sat, May 7 |
Scottish Premiership bottom six and relegation battle
St Johnstone and Dundee are both in the bottom six and currently occupy the bottom two places, in 11th and 12th, respectively.Â
The bottom-placed side at the end of 2021/22 will be relegated to the Scottish Championship, with Dundee being given a 97% chance of going down according to football prediction experts FiveThirtyEight.
A late equaliser from Dundee’s Danny Mullen!#cinchPrem | @DundeeFC pic.twitter.com/wztWFrFMyR
— SPFL (@spfl) April 4, 2022
The second-bottom side – St Johnstone at present – will be thrust into a two-legged playoff against the Scottish Championship playoff winners to fight for the right to play Scottish Premiership football next season.
Aberdeen and St Mirren are not quite safe, but it would take a dramatic run of losses to see either dragged into the mire.
| Place | Team | Points | Games played | Goal difference | Next match |
| 7. | Livingston | 44 | 35 | -6 | St Johnstone (H), Sat, May 7 |
| 8. | Hibernian | 41 | 35 | -6 | Aberdeen (H), Sat, May 7 |
| 9. | Aberdeen | 39 | 35 | -4 | Hibernian (A), Sat, May 7 |
| 10. | St Mirren | 39 | 35 | -20 | Dundee (H), Sat, May 7 |
| 11. | St Johnstone | 31 | 35 | -24 | Livingston (A), Sat, May 7 |
| 12. | Dundee | 26 | 35 | -29 | St Mirren (A), Sat, May 7 |
Why did the Scottish Premiership split in two?
There are many disputed reasons as to why the Scottish Premiership elects to split into two for the final run-in.
Officially, it is to prevent the need for a 44-fixture calendar which would see every team play each other four times over the duration of a campaign.Â
It prevents congestion in an already jam-packed calendar, although it has received mixed reactions over the years from fans. Extensive league reconstruction talks were held in 2020, however, no such agreement was reached, meaning it will stay in place for the foreseeable future.
