Jose Mourinho makes ‘phenomenal’ Rangers Europa League prediction
Rangers secured progress to the Europa League quarter-finals with a penalty shootout win against Fenerbahce.
The Gers relinquished their two-goal advantage from the first leg and could not find the net in extra-time, leading to a tense finale at Ibrox.
However, Jack Butland pulled off two heroic saves and only Ianis Hagi missed his kick in the shootout as the Light Blues scraped through.
The Bears will face Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals after they defeated Roma to turn around the tie.
Mourinho makes Rangers Europa League prediction
The Turkish outfit’s manager Jose Mourinho believes that the Gers will have to pull off a similar shock if they are to progress to the semi-finals.
Speaking in his post-match press conference after his side were eliminated, Mourinho said: “Bilbao is a stronger team. The final is in Bilbao.
“I think if Rangers does it against Bilbao, it will be phenomenal.
“It will be phenomenal because it is going to be very hard.”
Rangers can win the Europa League
The Gers’ only hope for success this season is the competition that they came so close to winning in the 2021/22 season under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
The Gers will be looking to go on a similar run to the one that saw them come up just short in a penalty shootout to Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville.
This time, they will be confident of beating anybody on penalties after Butland’s heroics in Govan against Mourinho’s side.
| Team | Round |
| Athletic Bilbao | Quarter-finals |
| Manchester United or Lyon | Semi-finals |
| Tottenham or Lazio or Bodo/Glimt or Frankfurt | Final |
Their form in the Europa League has been a far cry from the disastrous domestic form that led to Philippe Clement being handed his marching orders in February, which leaves them sitting 16 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
Interim Rangers manager Barry Ferguson has increased his chances of securing the role on a permanent basis with the stunning victory over the Turkish side, and if he goes all the way, surely he will be the frontrunner to land the gig in the summer over the likes of Derek McInnes or Steven Gerrard.
If they can get past Bilbao in the next round, they will be confident that they can beat anybody, including the likes of Manchester United, who they could face in the semi-final and final respectively.
It could go from an utterly dismal campaign to one of the most remarkable in the Auchenhowie club’s history if Ferguson can mastermind a European success after replacing the Belgian.