Rangers vs. Athletic Bilbao - prediction, team news, lineups

March was an enjoyable month for Rangers overall as they beat Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce on penalties, following a 3-3 aggregate draw, to progress from the last 16 of the Europa League, before winning back-to-back Scottish Premiership games against rivals Celtic and Dundee.

A 3-2 Old Firm triumph at Celtic Park was followed by a dramatic 4-3 comeback victory away against Dundee - a game in which they were trailing 3-1 with just 15 minutes remaining - but Barry Ferguson's men were unable to kick-start April with a win as they suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Hibernian last weekend.

The Gers have now lost each of their last five home matches in 90 minutes across all competitions - including the 2-0 second-leg loss to Fenerbahce before winning the aforementioned tie on penalties - and the defeat to Hibs represents their seventh in the Scottish Premiership this season, leaving them 13 points behind champions-elect Celtic, who also lost last time out and can clinch the title in just a few weeks' time.

Rangers are now preparing for their 13th major European quarter-final - their first since the 2021-22 Europa League clash with Braga - and they head into Thursday's contest having failed to win the first leg in any of their last five such ties.

However, the last time that the Glaswegian giants did win a quarter-final first leg was against none other than Athletic Bilbao at Ibrox in the 1968-69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, winning 4-1 on home soil before losing the second leg 2-0 in Spain but still progressing 4-3 on aggregate.

After finishing second in the 36-team Europa League table, Athletic Bilbao overcame a 2-1 first-leg deficit to beat Roma 3-1 in the reverse fixture on home soil last month to progress from the last 16 4-3 on aggregate.

Ernesto Valverde's men have put together a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions since losing that first leg to Roma, but they have played out three La Liga draws in that time, most recently picking up two points across back-to-back 0-0 draws with Osasuna and Villarreal.

Despite winning only one of their last five Spanish top-flight matches, Athletic remain fourth in the table and have a strong chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League as they sit six points clear of Villarreal in fifth, although the Yellow Submarine do have a game in hand.

Winning the Europa League for the first time in their history would also guarantee Champions League qualification for 2025-26, and achieving a club first on Thursday would help the Basque-based outfit move one step closer to glory.

Competing in a major European quarter-final for the first time since 2015-16, Athletic have lost both of their last two visits to Scotland, losing 1-0 at Dunfermline back in 1965 and 4-1 to Rangers - as mentioned previously - in 1969, both in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

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Team News

Rangers will have cope without centre-back John Souttar and midfielder Mohamed Diomande who are both suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, while Neraysho Kasanwirjo remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury.

The absence of Souttar will likely see Ferguson revert to a three-man backline including captain James Tavernier, Leon Balogun and Robin Propper, who was rested at the weekend, while Dujon Sterling and Jefte operate as wing-backs.

Nicolas Raskin and Connor Barron are set to continue in centre-midfield, while Nedim Bajrami could replace Diomande and join Vaclav Cerny - Rangers' top scorer in the Europa League with six goals - and Cyriel Dessers in attack.

As for Athletic Bilbao, Yuri Berchiche was forced off with a calf injury in the draw with Villarreal last time out and is expected to miss out on Thursday, with Adama Boiro set to deputise at left-back.

Aitor Paredes was also forced off against Villarreal with a muscle problem, but there is hope that the defender will recover in time to partner Dani Vivian at centre-back. Unai Nunez is waiting in the wings if needed, though.

In-demand Nico Williams and brother Inaki Williams are both expected to start on the flanks, while Oihan Sancet - who has scored a team-high 14 goals this term - will be pushing to start ahead of Unai Gomez in the number 10 role, as Gorka Guruzeta leads the line.

Butland; Tavernier, Propper, Balogun; Sterling, Barron, Raskin, Jefte; Bajrami, Cerny; Dessers

Simon; Gorosabel, Paredes, Vivian, Boiro; Prados, Jauregizar; I. Williams, Sancet, N. Williams; Guruzeta

We say: Rangers 2-2 Athletic Bilbao

First legs can often be cagey affairs but goals are to be expected on Thursday; six of Rangers' 10 Europa League games have seen three or more goals scored, while each of Athletic Bilbao's last four matches in the competition have also seen 3+ goals netted (eight for, eight against).

Rangers have struggled on home soil in recent weeks, but another special European night at Ibrox could be in store for the Gers and they may do enough to claim at least a share of the spoils to keep the tie nicely poised ahead of next week's second leg in Spain.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.