Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao

Ibrox Stadium sets the stage for a maiden Europa League showdown between Rangers and Athletic Bilbao.

A dismal 2-0 home loss to Hibernian extinguished Rangers’ hopes of securing a sought-after domestic title, heightening the pressure on the team to reach the Europa League semi-finals for the first time since losing the 2021/22 grand final to Eintracht Frankfurt. The Gers reaffirmed their continental credentials in the round of 16 by overcoming Jose Mourinho’s star-studded Fenerbahce side despite losing 2-0 at home in the second leg. Interim boss Barry Ferguson has blown hot and cold across his first seven games in charge of the Glasgow giants (W4, L3), with his side failing to keep a clean sheet on each occasion. However, Rangers stand on the brink of history as they’re only one goal away from becoming the first Scottish club to hit a 100-goal milestone in the Europa League. Worryingly, they’ve gone winless in 15 of their last 17 encounters against La Liga opposition (W2, D7, L8). 

In the meantime, Athletic Bilbao’s pursuit of a coveted top-four finish in La Liga took back-to-back hits as they posted consecutive 0-0 draws against Osasuna and Villarreal in the build-up to this fixture. However, Ernesto Valverde’s charges dispatched Roma in the previous Europa League knockout round and could now secure their first semi-final appearance in Europe’s second-tier competition since losing the 2021 final. Though they’ve never faced Rangers in a UEFA-sanctioned game before, Bilbao slumped to a 4-3 aggregate loss to this opposition in the 1968/69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. By contrast, the Spaniards have progressed from eight of their last 11 two-legged European ties. Delivering action from the get-go, they’ve also found the opening goal in seven of their nine most recent Europa League outings (W7, L2).