Unai Simon confirms huge Athletic Bilbao team news v Rangers for Ibrox
Rangers face a tough challenge in their Europa League quarter-final tie with LaLiga side Athletic Bilbao.
Athletic Club have been superb this season, and are currently fourth place in LaLiga, with a lot of experienced quality throughout their side.
Rangers have endured an underwhelming campaign, meanwhile, and were beaten at home by Hibernian on Saturday, but their full focus will be on the quarter-finals first leg at Ibrox this week.
Unai Simon will not play against Rangers
Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon was Spain’s first-choice option as they won Euro 2024, but he has now revealed a potential boost for Barry Ferguson’s side over the two legs.
Despite being Athletic Club’s first-choice goalkeeper, Simon has now confirmed that he will not play in either of the quarter-final clashes, as this will be the duty of cup goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala.
“I’m not going to play in Glasgow. European competition belongs to Julen,” he told reporters.
“He’ll have to be ready for anything at Ibrox because he’s the one who plays in Europe.”
| Stat | Agirrezabala |
| Appearances | 61 |
| Conceded | 49 |
| Clean Sheets | 26 |
Simon played on Sunday night as Athletic Club kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw away at Villarreal, in a crucial match for both sides’ top-four hopes in LaLiga, but he will watch from the sidelines at Ibrox later this week.
Rangers will face Agirrezabala in Athletic Bilbao clash
Although Rangers may be somewhat relieved that they are not coming up against Euro 2024 star Simon, they will still be facing a goalkeeper with experience in knockout competitions heading into the Europa League.
Agirrezabala played in every single round, including the final, as Athletic Club won the Copa Del Rey in 2024, and he also saved a vital penalty in the shootout during the final.
Simon was injured for a significant chunk of the first half of the season, and Agirrezabala stepped up superbly in LaLiga, making 14 appearances and even recording a victory against Real Madrid.
Rangers will need to be at their best to stand a chance in this tie, and they will certainly need to have their shooting boots on to score past a stubborn Bilbao defence.