Robbie Keane is a leading contender to become the new Celtic manager but one luxury he has at Ferencvaros won’t be something he’ll experience in Scotland.
Celtic fans are divided on Keane becoming the new Hoops boss but the 45-year-old is on good terms with Dermot Desmond, which may make negotiations easier for the one-time loanee.
He is riding the crest of a wave right now with the Hungarian side one step away from a Europa League quarter-final spot after beating Braga and in order to allow them to put their full focus into their mission, they won’t be playing this weekend.
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Ferencvaros handed free weekend to focus on Europa League commitments
After winning 2-0 at home in their first leg, Keane’s side have been handed a weekend off so that they can recover and fully focus on the second leg in Portugal.
That sort of luxury has rarely been afforded to Celtic when competing on the continental stage.
One example includes having to travel back from Kazakhstan a couple of days before the first Glasgow derby of the season back in August.
This season, the Bhoys have dropped 11 points from games after playing midweek.
| European game | Date | Domestic opponent | Result | Points dropped |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kairat Almaty | 26 August | Rangers (A) | 0-0 | 2 |
| Crvena Zvezda | 24 September | Hibs (H) | 0-0 | 2 |
| Braga | 2 October | Motherwell (H) | 3-2 | 0 |
| Sturm Graz | 23 October | Hearts (A) | 3-1 | 3 |
| Midtjylland | 6 November | Kilmarnock (H) | 4-0 | 0 |
| Feyenoord | 27 November | Hibernian (A) | 1-2 | 0 |
| Roma | 11 December | Dundee United (A) | 2-1 | 3 |
| Bologna | 22 January | Hearts (A) | 2-2 | 2 |
| Utrecht | 29 January | Falkirk (H) | 2-0 | 0 |
| Stuttgart | 1 March | Rangers (A) | 2-2 | 2 |
If they were given a game off in the run-up, particularly for the Champions League qualifier or Europa League knockout first leg tie against Stuttgart, they may have also performed better in Europe.
As a result, Scotland’s coefficient has plummeted, meaning the Scottish Premiership will only have one Champions League place from next season.
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