Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers Preview: Team News & Prediction

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Athletic Club will host the UEFA Europa League final at San Mames and the dream is that they will be involved in that ahead of this quarter-final second-leg against Rangers this week.

Kick-off date/time: Thursday 17th April, 2025: UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm

How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – CBS Sports

How to watch online: UK – Discovery+ / US – Paramount+

Key Stats

Athletic have won their previous five UEFA Europa League matches at home this season.
Athletic Club are through to their fourth UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League quarter-final. The most recent was in 2015/16 when they were defeated on penalties by Sevilla after a 3-3 draw on aggregate (1-2 h, 2-1 a). They won the previous two, firstly against Barcelona in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup (4-3 agg, 2-1 h, 2-2 a) and then against Schalke in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League (6-4 agg, 4-2 a, 2-2 h).
Athletic Club have won eight of their last 11 UEFA competition two-legged ties.
Athletic Club have lost only two of their previous 11 UEFA Europa League matches this season (W7 D2).
Athletic Club have only failed to score in one of their last 26 UEFA competition matches at home.
Athletic Club have scored three goals in each of their last three UEFA Europa League matches at home.
Nico Williams has opened the scoring in three of Athletic Club’s last four UEFA Europa League matches at home.
Rangers have lost only two of their last nine UEFA Europa League matches (W4 D3).
Rangers have lost only one of their last nine UEFA competition matches away from home (W4 D4).
Rangers are unbeaten in their last five UEFA competition matches against Spanish teams (W2 D3).
Rangers have kept three clean sheets in their last four UEFA competition matches against Spanish teams.
Rangers have lost their last four UEFA two-legged ties against Spanish teams, the most recent was a 1-2 aggregate defeat against Osasuna in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 16 (1-1 h, 0-1 a). Their last UEFA two-legged tie success against a Spanish opponent was against Real Zaragoza in the 1966/67 Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals when the tie was decided by a coin toss after a 2-2 draw on aggregate (2-0 h, 0-2 a).
Rangers are in their third UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League quarter-final. They won the previous two: 2-0 agg vs Sporting CP, 2007/08 UEFA Cup (0-0 h, 2-0 a) and 3-2 agg vs Braga, 2021/22 UEFA Europa League (0-1 a, 3-1 h aet). They went on to reach the final on both occasions.
Rangers have progressed from six of their ten UEFA competition quarter-final ties.
Rangers have won five of their last six UEFA Europa League two-legged ties.
Including qualifying, Rangers have won 16 of their last 19 UEFA Europa League two-legged ties.
Rangers have scored 99 goals in the UEFA Europa League (GS/LP to F). They could become the first Scottish club to reach the landmark of 100.
Cyriel Dessers has scored in three of Rangers’ last four UEFA Europa League matches away from home.

Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers Prediction

The first-leg of this tie was immensely frustrating for Athletic as they were somehow held to a goalless draw at Ibrox in Glasgow by the 2022 UEFA Europa League runners’ up Rangers, despite Basque dominance and the fact Rangers were down to ten men after ten minutes.

Athletic have perhaps lacked some fluency and form of late but the likes of Oihan Sancet and Nico Williams returned to some impressive form at the weekend as they defeated Rayo Vallecano by three goals to one at San Mames. Rangers, on the other hand, with interim coach Barry Ferguson at the helm, were once again poor as they managed to snatch a 2-2 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend.

Athletic have an abundance of quality and will believe they can simply even out with a comfortable victory in this one, especially with their home advantage, as they aim for their destiny.

Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers Tip: Athletic Club to win