Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Rangers run in Europe may seemingly come to an end in the quarter-final stages, when they take on one of the tournament favourites in Athletic Bilbao, who will be hoping to reach a European final at their own stadium in May.

Defensively, Rangers need to show improvement, with the home side conceding first in six of their previous eight matches, and the Gers have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 10 matches. Their overall home record makes Barry Ferguson’s side a massive cause for concern. Rangers have lost their previous five games at Ibrox in all competitions.

Athletic Bilbao on the other hand, could not be meeting Rangers at a more perfect opportunity, with the Spanish visitors unbeaten in their previous five matches, with no goals conceded. However, with both teams scoring in five of the last seven matches involving Rangers, we think they could grab a goal on home soil.

For this game, we are going with a 2-1 win for Athletic Bilbao in the first leg. Rangers’ best chance of progression will be gaining a positive result at home. However, the visitors are in great form and will likely extend their run here.

Rangers 1-2 Athletic Bilbao

The first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals takes place on Thursday, as Rangers play host to one of the tournament favourites, Athletic Bilbao.

Date: 10/04/2025
Location: Ibrox, Glasgow.
Kick-Off: 8 pm

Rangers will likely finish second once again this season in the Scottish Premiership, with the home side for this tie, 13 points adrift of would-be eventual champions Celtic. Rangers are 15 points ahead of third-placed Hiberninan, who reduced the gap at the weekend with a 2-0 win against Rangers at Ibrox. The Glasgow club has been plagued with managerial and off-the-field issues this season, with Barry Ferguson now in charge of the club on a temporary basis until the end of the season.

The former Rangers player played a pivotal role in guiding Rangers to this stage of the competition by beating Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce side over two legs in a penalty shootout victory, following the tie being level at 3-3 after extra time in the second leg. Rangers finished just inside the top eight places in the UEFA Europa League phase, seeing out the likes of Anderlecht and FCSB.

For Athletic Bilbao this competition will pose a sense of sentimental value, with the final of the tournament being held at the coveted San Names Stadium in Bilbao, home of the visitors. The visitors’ league form, will suggest that the club is on track to qualify for the UEFA Champions League regardless of their outcome in this competition, as they sit fourth with eight games to play. Athletic Club finished second overall in the league phase in the competition, finishing a point above Manchester United in the league standings.

The game will be available on TNT Sports 2.

Rangers Team News

Rangers manager Barry Ferguson should have a full squad, barring any last-minute training injuries.

Athletic Bilbao Team News

Oihan Sancet, Dani Vivian, and Aitor Paredes will all be unavailable for the leg tie at Ibrox on Thursday.

Rangers:
Rangers are coming into this game having won three of their previous five games in all competitions, however, their recent 2-0 defeat against Hibernian should not be overlooked since it was at home, Rangers have recorded three victories against Dundee (3-4), Celtic (2-3) and Fenerbahce in the first leg of the previous round of the UEFA Europa League, 3-1.

Defensively, Rangers need to show improvement, with the home side conceding first in six of their previous eight matches, and the Gers have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 10 matches. Their overall home record makes Barry Ferguson’s side a massive cause for concern. Rangers have lost their previous five games at Ibrox in all competitions.

Athletic Bilbao:

Athletic Bilbao are coming into this game, with excellent form across all competitions, with the visitors unbeaten in their previous five matches. Bilbao have drawn their previous two matches 0-0 against Villarreal and Osasuna respectively, whilst also managing victories against Sevilla (0-1) and AS Roma (3-1).

Away from home, the Spanish side have struggled with only one win from their previous five matches on their travels. However, they will find solace in the fact that they have picked up four points in their previous two games away from home against Villarreal and Sevilla.

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