Athletic Bilbao take on the visitors Rangers Glasgow in the second leg of UEFA Europa League round of quarterfinals. First leg result: 0-0. The match will be played on Thursday, April 17th at Estadio San Mamés (Bilbao).
Athletic continue to progress under Ernesto Valverde. The veteran coach returned to Bilbao once again in 2022 and came close to making an instant impact, only to be denied a European spot by a peak-form Osasuna. That disappointment was quickly forgotten thanks to their Copa del Rey triumph last spring — exactly 40 years after their last cup win. In La Liga, they secured 5th place and have now capitalized on Girona’s slump to firmly take hold of 4th, with the Williams brothers leading the charge. Athletic have also returned to the Europa League with their usual intensity, finishing the group stage with the best overall record. That allowed them to skip straight to the round of 16, where they lost the first leg to Roma due to a late goal but bounced back with a 3-1 win at San Mamés. Their quarter-final first leg against Rangers ended 0-0 in Glasgow, despite the Scots going down to ten men early on. Athletic struggled to break them down but still looked the better team throughout. The squad remains defensively solid and hasn’t conceded more than one goal in any of their last six games.
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Rangers Glasgow are putting all their focus on the Europa League. The Light Blues have settled into a consistent role in modern Scottish football — clear second-best, with only Steven Gerrard briefly guiding them to a Premiership title. With Celtic now out of reach in the domestic race, Rangers have turned their full attention to European competition. They entered the Europa League after a narrow and frustrating Champions League qualifying defeat to Dynamo Kyiv. They’ve certainly made the most of their new opportunity — collecting 14 points in the group stage and winning half of their matches. That earned them a direct spot in the round of 16, where they impressively beat Fenerbahçe in Istanbul before edging through on penalties after losing the second leg at home. Against Athletic, they were reduced to ten men early but held on for a gritty 0-0 draw. It was a physical performance that showcased their defensive discipline and commitment. However, they’ve now failed to score in their last two matches, raising concerns about their ability to break down elite opposition.
Before last week’s meeting, these two European staples had never faced each other in official competition. It’s unlikely this match will be much more open than the first leg — we expect under 3.0 total goals scored.
Prediction for the match: Under 3.0 scored goals.
