Celtic and Rangers seek Old Firm tonic for Champions League wound

Neither of the Glasgow clubs reached the league phase of European club football's elite competition for the first time since 2021.

Celtic were unable to score a goal across two legs - and 210 minutes of play - before losing to unheralded Kazakh champions Kairat Almaty on penalties on Tuesday.

A day later and it was Rangers' turn to suffer play-off embarrassment. A 6-0 hammering by Club Brugge equalled the club's worst ever European defeat and condemned Russell Martin's men to a mammoth 9-1 aggregate loss.

Martin, appointed in June, is now fighting for his job on the weekend with the groundswell of Rangers support demanding the former Southampton boss be sacked after winning just three of his first 10 games in charge.

That run includes starting the current league season with a trio of underwhelming 1-1 draws to Motherwell, Dundee and St. Mirren that has already allowed Celtic to build up a six-point lead ahead of their trip to Ibrox on Sunday.

Martin has insisted he still had the support of Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell.

"I've had a chat with them already, they are amazingly supportive, they understand that this might take time," he told broadcaster TNT.

However, the club's new American owners, which includes the investment arm of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers, are facing a backlash from their own fans at one of their first major decisions in appointing Martin.

"It is our considered view that the current head coach should be relieved of his duties with immediate effect," said a statement from the club's oldest and biggest supporters group, the Rangers Supporters Association on Thursday.

"After everything that has happened so far this season, losing on Sunday would be catastrophic," said former Rangers manager and legendary striker Ally McCoist.

"You can't keep changing managers all the time - but he's had a disastrous start."

Celtic lose Champions League gamble

Across Glasgow, domestic domination is starting to wear thin for fans of Celtic, who have won 13 of the last 14 Scottish titles.

Last season Celtic reached the Champions League knockout stages for the first time since 2012 and ran German giants Bayern Munich close before losing 3-2 on aggregate.

Yet to the astonishment of supporters, the club sold off a number of their best players without replacing them before the embarrassing exit in Kazakhstan.

Celtic have spent about £3 million on transfers so far in this summer window while bringing in about £20 million.

Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers was particularly short of options up front after the departures of Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn in recent months, which proved to be Celtic's undoing against Kairat Almaty.

"I always think that investment is great, but it has to be a timely investment," said the former Liverpool boss.

"This group of players have given everything. We just couldn't find enough good moments and moments of quality to break through."

Rodgers' contract runs out at the end of the season and while he insists he will not walk out on the club mid-season for a second time, after ending his first spell at the club in 2019 to join Leicester, it looks increasingly likely his frustration at transfer dealings will rule out any chance of a renewed deal.

Martin, meanwhile, may not even see the end of the month if his side do not recover from a bruising night in Belgium to inflict more damage on their bitter rivals.