Athletic Club vs Rangers facts

There is all still to play for between Athletic Club and Rangers in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final after the opening match in Glasgow finished goalless.

A resolute display from the Gers at Ibrox left the Spanish team frustrated following Robin Pröpper's 13th-minute red card for the home side. Goalkeeper Liam Kelly thwarted Athletic's best attempts, saving a second-half penalty from Alex Berenguer.

The first leg was the teams' first meeting and the first time Athletic had faced a team from Scotland.

Form guide

Athletic Club

Record vs Scottish clubs: P1 W0 D1 L0 F0 A0

Although the first leg was Athletic's first UEFA competition game against a team from Scotland, 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.

Athletic have won five and lost three of their eight UEFA competition ties when drawing the first leg away from home. When drawing 0-0 their record is W1 L2, most recently going down 2-1 on aggregate to Austria Wien in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 32.

Ernesto Valverde's team have won seven of their last ten Europa League matches (D1 L2), scoring the first goal in seven of those games. The first leg was the first time in 19 Europa League matches they had failed to score.

Athletic have hit three goals in each of their last three home Europa League matches, Williams opening the scoring in three of his last four in their own stadium.

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.

Athletic's record in two UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W0 L2:
3-5 v CFR Cluj, 2005/06 Intertoto Cup second round
4-5 v Sevilla, 2015/16 Europa League quarter-final

Rangers

Record vs Spanish clubs: W5 D9 L13 F22 A41
Away record vs Spanish clubs: W1 D3 L9

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 their last four two-legged ties against teams from Spain, most recently going down 1-2 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.

However, Rangers are unbeaten in their last five matches against Spanish teams (W2 D3).

The Glasgow side finished eighth in the league phase (W4 D2 L2), qualifying automatically for 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 Dessers and two from Václav Černý. However, Fenerbahçe's 2-0 win in Glasgow took the tie to penalties, Gers goalkeeper Jack Butland saving twice in a 3-2 shoot-out win.

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.

Rangers have drawn their home first leg on 18 previous occasions in UEFA competition, progressing eight times.

They have drawn 0-0 in a home first leg eight times, going on to win five ties and losing on three, most recently in a 2008/09 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round against Lithuanian side Kaunas when they bowed out following a 2-1 away defeat.

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

Dessers has scored in three of Rangers' last four away Europa League matches.

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.

Rangers' record in six UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W4 L2:
1-3 v Borussia Dortmund, 1999/2000 UEFA Cup third round
4-3 v Paris Saint-Germain, 2001/02 UEFA Cup third round
4-2 v Marítimo, 2004/05 UEFA Cup first round
4-2 v Fiorentina, 2007/08 UEFA Cup semi-final
4-5 v Eintracht Frankfurt, 2021/22 Europa League final
3-2 v Fenerbahçe, 2024/25 UEFA Europa League round of 16

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 against Williams' Spain on 28 March 2023; Simón started in goal for Spain.

Ianis Hagi spent 2023/24 on loan from Rangers at Deportivo Alavés, where he played alongside Andoni Gorosabel; 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.