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Match preview for Rangers v Athletic Bilbao
Rangers will need to turn their dreadful home form around as they look to keep their Europa League dream alive in Thursday’s quarter-final first leg against Athletic Bilbao.
Barry Ferguson’s men progressed to the last eight following a penalty shootout win over Fenerbahce, yet that came after a 2-0 defeat on the night that levelled the tie at 3-3 on aggregate.
That loss formed part of a winless run at Ibrox that was stretched to five games on Saturday as Rangers were beaten 2-0 by Hibernian.
It is a run that has also comprised of losses to Queen’s Park, St. Mirren and Motherwell, with the latest slip-up leading Ferguson to criticise his players for failing to motivate themselves outside of Old Firm and European games.
“That’s not a Rangers team; it’s miles from being a Rangers team,” said Ferguson. “I’m fed up of repeating myself – European games and Celtic games are the easiest games to get up for.”
Rangers should, therefore, theoretically have no issue getting themselves emotionally ready for the visit of their LaLiga opponents, and it will likely two outstanding performances for Ferguson’s men to pull off the upset.
Athletic dropped points at the weekend as they were held to a second successive 0-0 draw, settling for a stalemate with fellow Champions League challengers Villarreal.
While Athletic’s league form has tailed off, the Basque side having won just one of their last five LaLiga games, they were impressive in turning around a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Roma by beating the Serie A club 3-1 at San Mames in the second leg.
In Nico Williams, Athletic have one of the hottest properties in European football, while his brother Inaki has scored five goals in the Europa League this season.
Finding fuel is unlikely to be a problem for Rangers, however, with Athletic chasing the dream of playing the final at their home stadium, they arguably have even greater motivation to make sure their extra quality tells across the two legs.
Team news for Rangers v Athletic Bilbao
John Souttar and Mohamed Diomande are both suspended for Rangers, joining long-term injury absentee Neraysho Kasanwirjo on the sidelines.
Left-back Yuri Berchice suffered a calf injury for Athletic in the draw with Villarreal, meaning he is unlikely to feature.
Predicted line-ups for Rangers v Athletic Bilbao
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Propper, Balogun, Sterling, Barron, Raskin, Jefte; Bajrami, Cerny, Dessers
Athletic Bilbao: Simon, Gorosabel, Paredes, Vivian, Boiro, Prados, Jauregizar, I. Williams, Sancet, N. Williams, Guruzeta
Stats for Rangers v Athletic Bilbao
- Athletic have kept a clean sheet in just one of their five Europa League away matches this season.
- At the same time, Athletic have scored in every away game in the competition.
- Every Rangers Europa League home game this season has seen at least two goals. Rangers have kept a clean sheet in just one of those games.
How to watch Rangers v Athletic Bilbao: TV and online stream
Rangers v Athletic Bilbao will be broadcast on TNT Sports 2 in the UK. It is also available via the Discovery Plus app. Sky Sports customers with a TNT Sports package can also watch the game on Sky Go.
Prediction
Rangers were very fortunate to progress to this stage having let their first-leg lead over Fenerbahce slip.
Ferguson’s side have consistently demonstrated vulnerability against much weaker sides at home. While the atmosphere should help them, this is likely to be a step too far for Rangers.
Prediction: Rangers 1-3 Athletic Bilbao
