Athletic Bilbao v Rangers preview: Team news, lineups, supercomputer prediction
Rangers travel to take on Athletic Bilbao for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, 17 April.
In the first leg, the Gers heroically held Bilbao to a 0-0 draw at Ibrox despite Robin Propper’s first-half red card.
Liam Kelly denied Alex Berenguer from the penalty spot on his European debut for the Bears after being brought in to replace the out-of-form Jack Butland.
Barry Ferguson’s men survived 12 minutes of second-half additional time despite being down to nine men, with Dujon Sterling injured.
Bilbao v Rangers preview
After showing their remarkable character against Bilbao at Ibrox on 10 April, Rangers once again salvaged a draw while down to 10 men against Aberdeen on Sunday.
Aberdeen already held a 1-0 lead at Pittodrie when Ross McCausland received his second yellow card, and matters became worse for Ferguson’s men when Pape Gueye doubled the hosts’ lead.
However, the Bears showed plenty of heart and desire to claim a 2-2 draw with Aberdeen, and Ianis Hagi’s late strike was a particular highlight.
But Rangers are still yet to win since their dramatic 4-3 victory at Dundee on 29 March, and will have to find their first victory of the month to progress against Bilbao.
Like the Light Blues, Bilbao have also won just two of their last five games, but Ernesto Valverde’s men will have earned confidence from their 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano.
A place in the Europa League semi-finals is at stake when Ferguson’s side visits the Basque Country.
Form guide
Bilbao: WDDDW
Rangers: DDLWW
Team News
Bailey Rice missed the trip to Aberdeen after being stretchered off in the first leg of the Gers’ Europa League quarter-final, and could miss out once more.
Sterling is absent for Ferguson’s men long-term courtesy of an Achilles problem, while loanee Rafael Fernandes could have played his last game for the Ibrox giants after suffering an injury at Pittodrie.
Propper is unavailable for selection after being suspended courtesy of his red card last week, but John Souttar and Mohamed Diomande do return.
Meanwhile, veteran Bilbao defender Yeri Berchiche will be absent for Valverde’s side thanks to a calf injury.
| Opponent | Result |
| Dundee (A) | 3-4 W |
| Hibernian (H) | 0-2 L |
| Bilbao (H) | 0-0 D |
| Aberdeen (A) | 2-2 D |
Athletic Bilbao v Rangers predicted lineups
Bilbao: Aggirrezabala, De Marcos, Vivian, Alvarez, Lekue, De Galarreta, Jauregizar, I Williams, Sancet, N Williams, Guruzeta
Rangers: Kelly, Nsiala, Souttar, Balogun, Tavernier, Barron, Raskin, Yilmaz, Diomande, Dessers, Cerny
Where to watch?
Rangers’ Europa League quarter-final second leg clash with Bilbao will be available to UK viewers on TNT Sports 2.
Supercomputer prediction
Opta’s Supercomputer has predicted that Valverde’s men will beat the Gers on Thursday and has handed the Scottish Premiership outfit just a 14.3 per cent chance of winning.
Bilbao’s chances of winning stand at 68 per cent, while the probability of a draw is 17.7 per cent.