Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao – Preview, Lineups And Prediction | OneFootball

Rangers have experienced a poor domestic this season campaign as per their standards, sitting second in the Scottish Premiership, 13 points behind league leaders and arch rivals Celtic, but have the chance to continue their season rescue bid against Athletic Bilbao tonight.

After getting knocked out of the Scottish Cup early on, the Europa League remains the only way for the Gers to salvage something for the club and fans – it would also put them straight into the Champions League if they win it.

The mid-season appointment of Barry Ferguson as the manager has not changed the Gers’ fortunes, with the club losing three of their last six matches showcasing their struggle to perform consistently.

Rangers losing 2-0 against Hibernian at the weekend remarkably means they have now lost the last five matches they have played at Ibrox.

However, making an immediate bounce back on Thursday against Athletic Bilbao will be tough, as Ernesto Valverde’s men sit fourth in La Liga and are undefeated in their last five matches.

The Spanish side have done well in the Europa League so far, finishing second in the league stage and knocked out Roma in the last round even after losing the first leg 2-1 against Claudio Ranieri’s men.

Rangers will know they face a huge task against Athletic Bilbao, but will not feel it is beyond them given their almost super-human performances in the Europa League so far and Ferguson insists they will give their all.

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Key Men

Rangers

Rangers will heavily rely on their in-form striker Cyriel Dessers. The Nigeria international has found the back of the net on 23 occasions for Rangers this season and scored four goals in four matches prior to their defeat against Hibs on Saturday.

Alongside Dessers, Vaclav Cerny will also need to be at his best and produce the magic that he displayed in the first leg of the Round of 16 against Fenerbahce last month, when he scored twice to help the Gers secure a massive 3-1 win.

Lastly, James Tavernier has to be ready to handle one of Europe’s best wingers in the form of Nico Williams, who has six goal contributions in ten matches in the Europa League.

Athletic Bilbao

Spanish international and European Championship winner Nico Williams will be the biggest threat that the Scottish giants will need to stop tonight.

The 22-year old had a slow start to the campaign but has now regained his form and has registered five goal involvements in his last seven matches.

On the other hand, Inaki Williams has also contributed massively for Valverde’s team this season with his hold up play and goalscoring ability, something that can cause a lot of damage to Ferguson’s men.

Oihan Sancet, the top scorer for Athletic Bilbao this season with 14 goals, possess a unique goalscoring threat from midfield as he regularly makes late runs in the box which can ask a lot of questions of a Rangers defence that has been very vulnerable throughout the season.

Match Prediction

This Europa League quarter-finals first leg tie hugely favours the Spanish giants because of their unbeaten run and Rangers’ recent struggles to win matches consistently.

But the Gers have shown that they can turn up their performances in Europe after they knocked-out Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the last round.

Ferguson’s men will equally fancy their chances tonight and will look to take a lead in the second leg next week against Valverde’s men.

Rangers 2-3 Athletic Bilbao

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