Rangers vs Athletic Club facts

Rangers host Athletic Club at Ibrox in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final after both teams progressed from tight round of 16 encounters.

The Gers – who reached the final of the Europa League in 2022 – had goalkeeper Jack Butland to thanks as they beat Fenerbahçe 3-2 in a shoot-out following a 3-3 aggregate draw, while Athletic overcame a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Roma to triumph 4-3.

This is the team's first meeting and the first time Athletic have faced a team from Scotland.

Form guide

Rangers

Record vs Spanish clubs: W5 D8 L13 F22 A41
Home record vs Spanish clubs: W4 D5 L4

Rangers ended a 15-match winless run against Spanish opposition (D7 L8) by beating Real Betis twice in last season's Europa League group stage (1-0 h, 3-2 a).

The Scottish club have lost all their last four two-legged ties against teams from Spain, most recently going down 2-1 on aggregate to Osasuna in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 16. Their last victory was against Real Zaragoza in the 1966/67 Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals when the tie was decided by a coin toss after a 2-2 draw on aggregate.

The Glasgow side finished eighth in the league phase (W4 D2 L2), qualifying automatically to the round of 16 on goal difference.

That set up a tie against Fenerbahçe, Rangers winning the first leg in Istanbul 3-1 thanks to a goal from Cyriel Deseers and two from Václav Černý. However, Fenerbahçe's 2-0 win in Glasgow took the tie to penalties, Gers goalkeeper Butland saving twice in a 3-2 shoot-out win for the home side.

Rangers are appearing in their third UEFA Cup/Europa League quarter-final, winning both the previous two and going on to reach the final on both occasions. In total they have progressed from six of their ten UEFA quarter-final ties; Rangers have also won five of their last six Europa League two-legged ties.

The Gers' next goal will be their 100th in the Europa League, Matchday 1 to final – they would be the first Scottish side to reach the landmark.

Rangers parted company with manager Philippe Clement at the end of February, replacing him with former club captain Barry Ferguson until the end of the season.

Athletic Club

This is Athletic's first UEFA competition game against a team from Scotland, although they did meet Rangers in the quarter-finals of the 1968/69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, losing 3-4 on aggregate (1-4 a 2-0 h).

Athletic – who are appearing in UEFA competition for the first time in six years – finished second in the league phase (W6 D1 L1) to set up a round of 16 tie against 2023 runners-up Roma. After a 2-1 loss in Italy, the Spanish side triumphed 3-1 in Bilbao thanks to two goals from Nico Williams and one from Yuri Berchiche to progress 4-3 on aggregate.

The Basque club are playing in their fourth UEFA Cup/Europa League quarter-final and a first since losing on penalties to Sevilla in 2015/16 after a 3-3 draw on aggregate (1-2 h, 2-1 a). They won the previous two, against Barcelona in 1976/77 (4-3 agg) and Schalke in 2011/12 (6-4 agg).

The 2012 Europa League runners-up have won eight of their last 11 two-legged European ties.

Ernesto Valverde's team have won seven of their last nine Europa League matches (L2), scoring the first goal in seven of those games; Athletic have now registered at least one goal in 18 consecutive Europa League games.

The Bilbao club finished fifth in La Liga last season, their best league position in eight years, and ended a 40-year wait for silverware with a penalty shoot-out victory against Mallorca in the final of the Copa del Rey. 

Links and trivia

Oihan Sancet made his debut for Spain against Scotland, scoring in a 2-0 win on 12 October 2023 in UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying; Unai Simón started in goal for Spain.

Scotland goalkeeper Liam Kelly was an unused substitute in a 2-0 win over Nico Williams' Spain on 28 March 2023; Simón started in goal for Spain.

Ianis Hagi played 2023/24 on loan from Rangers at Deportivo Alavés, where he played alongside Andoni Gorosabel and where current Athletic striker Maroan Sannadi was in the youth academy.

Hagi featured three times against Athletic during his spell in Spain, losing 2-0 on all three occasions.