Rangers v Athletic Bilbao preview: Team news, predicted line-ups, head to head
Rangers will be back in action on Thursday as their Europa League journey continues.
The Light Blues will host Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-final first leg as they look to book their place in the final four of the competition.
Rangers were defeated 2-0 during their most recent outing against Hibernian, with Barry Ferguson’s men struggling to make much of an impact in that match.
It has been a disappointing season overall for the Gers, but winning the Europa League would transform that and give Ferguson a strong chance to keep the managerial job permanently.
Rangers v Athletic Bilbao preview
Rangers will return to European action as they look to continue their successful journey so far, but an improved result from their last home game in the competition will be needed.
The Gers almost found themselves knocked out against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce as they lost the second leg at Ibrox 2-0, eventually winning on penalties.
Repeating that feat would give them an uphill battle when the fixture is reversed, which is something that Ferguson will be keen to avoid.
The focus will simply be on ensuring they remain in the game for the second leg, but if they can repeat the win of their first leg game in the previous round, then Rangers would be in a confident spot.
| Team | Chance of winning Europa League (percentage) |
| 1. Athletic Club | 22.4 |
| 2. Lazio | 21.5 |
| 3. Tottenham | 18.4 |
| 4. Manchester United | 13.3 |
| 5. Olympique Lyon | 10.9 |
| 6. Eintracht Frankfurt | 7.8 |
| 7. Bodo/Glimt | 3.4 |
| 8. Rangers | 2.2 |
Rangers team news v Athletic Bilbao
Rangers remain without long-term absentee Neraysho Kasanwijo, who has been sidelined since November due to a knee injury.
John Souttar and Mohamed Diomande will miss out through suspension, and will be back available for the second leg in Spain.
Outside of that, Ferguson has a healthy squad available to him, which he will be looking to take full advantage of in midweek.
Rangers head-to-head record v Athletic Bilbao
These two teams have never faced each other before, making this a historic game from that perspective.
Rangers v Athletic Bilbao predicted lineups
Rangers: Kelly, Sterling, Balogun, Propper, Tavernier, Raskin, Barron, Yilmaz, Cerny, Hagi, Dessers
Athletic Bilbao: Agirrezabala, De Marcos, Nunez, Alvarez, Berchiche; Prados, Jauregizar, Williams, Berenguer, N. Williams, Sannadi
Prediction: Rangers 2-1 Athletic Bilbao
It is sure to be a tight game at Ibrox given that it is the first leg, with neither team wanting to give too much away as they won’t want the match to be out of their reach in the second leg.
However, Ibrox is a tough place to visit on a European night due to the atmosphere, and that could be the difference maker here.