Former SPL chief executive Roger Mitchell reckons Celtic are in the Champions League group stages thanks to the hard graft of their bitter rivals Rangers.

The business tsar and sports podcast guru took to Twitter to hail Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side after a 1-0 win in the Netherlands sealed their passage to the riches of football's most elite competition.

Despite being a self-confessed Celtic supporter, Mitchell feels his club have a lot to be thankful for amid four years of solid European runs from the Govan side that saw them reach the Europa League final last term.

Their achievement has been the key contributor to Scottish football's current lofty coefficient status as the eighth best league in Europe.

And Mitchell reckons Ange Postecoglou has to start showing he can match the Ibrox club's level on the continent.

He said on Twitter: "Not my team. Despise a lot of their brand and culture. Rangers in Europe have been achievers. And that always needs a cap doff. We (Celtic) got in automatically thanks to THEIR work with the coefficient. And despite being horsed by all and sundry in recent years. Well done.

"Ange now needs to show what he really has built. Many think his team is special. We shall see only now. Scottish results mean absolutely nothing, and haven't done for at least a decade. You are judged by Europe."