Analysis and prediction for Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers: Home team to win narrowly.
The Europa League match between Athletic Bilbao and Rangers will take place at 2:00 AM on April 18th. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes the teams' form, provides football commentary, and predicts the score.
Latest team news for Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers
Athletic Bilbao are concerned about the fitness of striker Inaki Williams, who suffered a muscle injury at the end of last weekend's win against Rayo Vallecano. Left-back Yuri Berchiche is still unavailable due to a calf muscle strain.
If Inaki is unavailable, his younger brother Nico Williams will likely play on the right wing, while Alex Berenguer will continue on the left. In the attacking midfield position, Oihan Sancet could replace Unai Gomez, while Maroan Sannadi and Gorka Guruzeta will compete for the center forward spot.
Goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, a regular starter in the Europa League this season, is likely to return to replace Unai Simon. The defense could welcome back Oscar de Marcos, Yeray Alvarez, and Inigo Lekue.
For Rangers, Dujon Sterling (heel) and Neraysho Kasanwirjo (knee) remain absent due to injury, while Robin Propper is suspended after receiving a red card in the first leg.
However, they will have the return of John Souttar and Mohamed Diomande after their suspensions. Souttar is expected to replace Propper in the three-man central defense alongside James Tavernier and Leon Balogun.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland has been dropped from the starting lineup in the last two games due to poor form and may continue to be on the bench, as Kelly is likely to retain his starting spot.
Nicolas Raskin and Connor Barron could continue to anchor the midfield, while Diomande could be named in the starting lineup to partner Vaclav Cerny – Rangers' top scorer in the Europa League with 6 goals – to support center forward Cyriel Dessers.
Latest predicted lineups for Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers
Athletic Bilbao:
Simon; De Marcos, Alvarez, Vivian, Lekue; De Galarreta, Jauregizar; N. Williams, Sancet, Berenguer; Guruzeta
Rangers:
Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Balogun; Yilmaz, Barron, Raskin, Jefte; Diomande, Cerny; Dessers
Latest football match prediction: Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers
Despite playing for over 80 minutes (including injury time) with a man advantage, controlling possession for over 70% of the time, and not allowing Rangers a single shot on target, Athletic Bilbao were unable to leave Ibrox with a victory after being held to a draw by the home team in the first leg.
The Spanish side were the favorites when they traveled to Glasgow and completely dominated the match after Robin Propper was sent off in the first half. However, they couldn't overcome Rangers goalkeeper Liam Kelly, who brilliantly saved a penalty in the 82nd minute taken by Alex Berenguer.
Ernesto Valverde's side ended a run of three consecutive 0-0 draws in all competitions with a 3-1 comeback victory against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Sunday. Three goals in the final 30 minutes, including a brace from Oihan Sancet and a goal from Nico Williams – both substitutes – helped Bilbao consolidate their fourth-place position in the league table.
Athletic are participating in a European cup quarter-final for the first time since the 2015-16 season, and they are aiming to reach the Europa League final, held at their home ground – for the first time since 2012, when they lost to Atletico Madrid in the final.
Bilbao is the only team to have won all their home games in the Europa League this season with 5 wins. However, in their last 5 instances of drawing the first leg of a European knockout round, they have all been eliminated. The last time they drew the first leg and still progressed was in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup semi-final against RWD Molenbeek.
Manager Barry Ferguson has reason to be proud of Rangers' resilient performance in the first leg, especially after a run of five consecutive home defeats in all competitions. However, he also emphasized that the entire team needs to play "precisely and precisely" if they want to overcome Bilbao on Spanish soil.
Last weekend, Rangers once again had to play with ten men but still managed to secure a draw, after being two goals down at half-time against Aberdeen but leveling the score at 2-2, with Ianis Hagi scoring the winning goal in the 96th minute.
In the Scottish Premiership, Rangers are practically playing for pride as they are 15 points behind arch-rivals Celtic with only five games remaining. They are also 13 points ahead of third-placed Hibernian.
Glasgow's entire focus is now on the Europa League, where they hope to reach the final for the second time in four years. While they haven't won the first leg in their last six European quarter-final matches, they have won the second leg in their last three such encounters.
The team in blue have been unbeaten in their last seven away matches in all competitions (6 wins, 1 draw), including a 3-2 victory against Real Betis in the Europa League group stage in mid-December – their first win on Spanish soil since 1962, after a 13-match winless streak (3 draws, 10 losses).
Latest Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers score prediction
Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Athletic Bilbao vs Rangersas follows:
- Sportsmole:Athletic Bilbao 2-0 Rangers
- WhoScore:Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Rangers
- Our newspaper predicts:Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Rangers
When and where can I watch Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers live?
To watch the Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers match live in the Europa League at 2:00 AM on April 18th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.
