Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
The first quarter-final match of the Europa League will take place on Thursday at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, where the local Rangers will host Athletic Bilbao. I suggest betting on goals in this clash with good chances of success.
Match preview
Barry Ferguson's team performed excellently in the group stage of the tournament, finishing in the top eight — only two losses in eight matches, with four wins and two draws. Skipping the play-in round, the team immediately stepped into the round of 16, where ambitious Fenerbahce stood in their way. In Istanbul, Rangers made a statement, securing an impressive 3-1 victory, but at home, things almost went awry — the return leg ended in a 0-2 loss, and no goals were scored in extra time.
The fate of the ticket to the next round was decided by penalties, where the Scots were more composed — 3-2 in the shootout. Thus, the Blues have already improved on last year's result, when their Europa League journey ended in the round of 16. Currently, the team is showing stability — in six of the last eight tournament matches, they have not known the bitterness of defeat in regular time, recording four wins and two draws.
Athletic finished the group stage in second place, securing six wins in eight matches, along with one draw and one loss. Under Ernesto Valverde, the Basques, like Rangers, immediately advanced to the Europa League round of 16. There they faced a serious challenge in the form of Roma.
In Rome, Athletic suffered a 1-2 defeat, but at home, they left no stone unturned against the Italians, winning with a resounding 3-1 score. Recall that the last time the Basques participated in the Europa League was in the 2017/18 season, ending their run in the round of 16. Now, the Basques are showing a commendable result in European tournaments — over the last nine Europa League matches, they have claimed seven victories and suffered two defeats, continuing their relentless series.
Probable line-ups
- Rangers: Jack Butland, Jefte, Robin Propper, Dujon Sterling, James Tavernier, Leon Balogun, Nicolas Raskin, Connor Barron, Nedim Bajrami, Cyriel Dessers, Vaclav Cerny
- Athletic Bilbao: Julen Agirrezabala, Oscar De Marcos, Yuri Berchiche, Unai Nunez, Aitor Paredes, Mikel Jauregi, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Unai Gomez, Inaki Williams, Nico Williams, Maroan Sannadi
Match facts and head-to-head
- The teams have not previously played each other in European competitions
- Rangers have conceded in 7 out of 8 home matches in the Europa League
- The "Both teams to score" bet has played in six out of seven Rangers matches in the Europa League
Prediction
Scottish teams have always boasted about their results at home, where defeating them is very challenging. In the last 15 home matches in the Europa League, Rangers have suffered only three defeats, with nine wins and three draws. After the setback against Fenerbahce, it can be expected that the Scots will make all possible adjustments and approach the match against Athletic with maximum concentration and determination. Our bet for the match is "Both teams to score" with odds of 1.70.
