Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction 10.04.2025 | Europa League

• Competition: UEFA Europa League - Quarter-Finals 1st leg
• Date: Thursday, 10th, April 2025
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CEST
• Venue: Ibrox Stadium (Glasgow)

Rangers will be aiming to get a first-leg edge in their Europa League quarter-final clash against tournament hosts Athletic Bilbao when the two sides meet at Ibrox Stadium on Thursday night.

In one of the most dramatic battles of the UEFA Europa League last-16 stage, the Gers knocked out Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce on the lottery of penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw across two legs, but they must now gear up for an even greater challenge ahead.

Standing in the path of the Glasgow giants is an Athletic Bilbao side that capitalized on their numerical advantage in the second leg and rode a brilliant brace from star winger Nico Williams to overturn AS Roma 4-3 on aggregate and book their spot in the quarter-finals of UEFA’s second-tier competition.

Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips : DRAW

This is an extremely tough match to call, with every outcome on the table, but we believe there’s a strong chance the first leg ends in a stalemate and that everything will be decided next week at San Mames, the very venue set to host the UEFA Europa League final this year. With their form swinging unpredictably for a while now, the Glasgow outfit has shown clear signs of inconsistency, and a dreadful run of five straight losses at Ibrox across all competitions gives the home crowd plenty of concern as Bilbao prepares to come to town. While they escaped El Madrigal with a hard-fought point in a scoreless draw against Villarreal, stretching their unbeaten run to five games, the Basque side doesn't seem to be hitting peak form ahead of their Scottish visit, as their recent outings have lacked the cutting edge needed to consistently secure victories. One encouraging sign for Athletic boss Ernesto Valverde is his team's recent improvement at the back, as they’ve managed to keep three consecutive clean sheets, and while scoring only once in that stretch isn’t ideal, the Basque outfit will likely lean on their organized rear guard to walk away from Ibrox unbeaten. Rangers would gladly settle for an all-square result in the first leg, especially given their recent string of discouraging performances, but they’ll need to regroup here and deliver a steadier display to steer clear of another setback.