Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao Preview and Prediction: Dramatic until the very last minute

Latest team news for Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao

Rangers will be without centre-back John Souttar and midfielder Mohamed Diomande, both suspended after accumulating too many yellow cards. Meanwhile, Neraysho Kasanwirjo remains out for the long term with a knee injury.

The absence of Souttar may force manager Ferguson to switch to a three-centre-back formation with captain James Tavernier, Leon Balogun, and Robin Propper – who was rested last weekend. Dujon Sterling and Jefte will occupy the two wing-back positions.

In midfield, Nicolas Raskin and Connor Barron are likely to continue as starters. Nedim Bajrami could be chosen to replace Diomande, supporting Vaclav Cerny – Rangers' top scorer in the Europa League with 6 goals – and Cyriel Dessers in attack.

On the Athletic Bilbao side, Yuri Berchiche suffered a calf problem in the draw against Villarreal and is almost certain to miss the game. Adama Boiro is expected to replace him at left-back.

Aitor Paredes also had to leave the field early due to a muscle injury, but there is still hope he will recover in time to partner Dani Vivian in the center of defense. Otherwise, Unai Nunez will be ready to step in.

The brothers Nico Williams and Inaki Williams are both likely to start on the wings. Meanwhile, Oihan Sancet – who is leading the team's scoring charts with 14 goals – is competing with Unai Gomez for the number 10 spot. Gorka Guruzeta will play as the furthest forward in the attack.

Latest predicted lineups for Rangers vs 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

Latest football match prediction: Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao

March was a memorable month for Rangers as they beat Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw over two legs, securing their place in the Europa League quarter-finals. They then went on to win two consecutive Scottish Premiership matches against Celtic and Dundee.

A dramatic 3-2 victory against Celtic at Celtic Park was followed by a spectacular comeback against Dundee, winning 4-3 – a match in which they were 1-3 down with just 15 minutes remaining. However, Barry Ferguson's side were unable to maintain their momentum, losing 0-2 at home to Hibernian last weekend.

Rangers have now lost five consecutive home games in 90 minutes across all competitions – including a 0-2 defeat to Fenerbahce in the second leg before winning on penalties. The loss to Hibs was also their seventh defeat in the Scottish Premiership this season, leaving them 13 points behind league leaders Celtic. Celtic also lost in the previous round and could clinch the title within weeks.

Rangers are preparing to reach their 13th European Cup quarter-final – the first time since their Europa League clash with Braga in 2021–2022. However, they have never won the first leg in their last five quarter-final matches.

The last time the Glasgow representatives won the first leg of the quarter-finals was against Athletic Bilbao at Ibrox in the 1968–1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, when they won 4-1 at home, and although they lost 0-2 in the second leg in Spain, they still advanced with an aggregate score of 4-3.

Athletic Bilbao finished second in their Europa League group stage out of 36 teams, then staged a spectacular comeback against Roma. Despite losing 1-2 in the first leg, they won 3-1 in the second leg at home, securing their place in the quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 4-3.

Ernesto Valverde's team is currently on a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions since their defeat to Roma in the first leg. However, they have drawn three of those La Liga matches, most recently two consecutive 0-0 draws against Osasuna and Villarreal.

Despite winning only 1 of their last 5 La Liga matches, Athletic still maintain their 4th position in the standings and have a strong chance of securing a Champions League spot next season. They are currently 6 points ahead of Villarreal, who are in 5th place, even though their rivals have a game in hand.

Winning the Europa League for the first time in their history would also secure them a place in the Champions League for the 2025–2026 season. Achieving this milestone in the first leg would bring the Basque representatives closer to their continental dream.

This is Athletic's first appearance in a European quarter-final since the 2015–2016 season. They have lost both of their last two away matches in Scotland: a 0–1 defeat to Dunfermline in 1965 and a 1–4 loss to Rangers in 1969 – both in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

Latest prediction for the Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao score.

Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Rangers vs Athletic Bilbaoas follows:

• Sportsmole:Rangers 2-2 Athletic Bilbao

• WhoScore:Rangers 1-2 Athletic Bilbao
• Our newspaper predicts:Rangers 2-2 Athletic Bilbao

When and where can I watch Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao live?

To watch the Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao match live in the Europa League at 2:00 AM on April 11th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.