Athletic Bilbao v Rangers: Prediction, tips and bet builder as Scots look to salvage season in Spain

Let’s make no bones about it, Rangers have endured a truly woeful domestic campaign. Fifteen points behind Celtic in the league, out in the early rounds of the Scottish Cup, lost in the League Cup final… the Europa League really is the club’s only saving grace this season.

Getting through to a European semi-final would go a long way in making up for their domestic shortfalls. However, getting past Bilbao will certainly take some doing.

Following a goalless first leg in Glasgow, it’s all to play for as both teams meet again at Estadio San Mames.

Athletic Bilbao smashed Rayo Vallecano 3-1 over the weekend which ended their run of three successive goalless draws.

Rangers, meanwhile, are in the midst of a three-match winless run, drawing 2-2 with Aberdeen last time out.

Here, we take a closer look at Thursday’s tasty Europa League quarter-final second leg and pick out some of the best bets along the way.

Good luck, and please gamble responsibly.

(All odds are correct at the time of article publication)

Athletic Bilbao v Rangers bet builder

Athletic Bilbao to win and BTTS – 2/1

One goal winning margin – 7/4

Nico Williams to score or assist – 5/6

Athletic Bilbao to win and BTTS

Ernesto Valverde’s men are probably still scratching their heads as to how they came away from Ibrox without scoring a single goal.

Bilbao not only had a man advantage for over 70 minutes, but they missed a second-half penalty, enjoyed over 70% possession and had a total of 18 shots from inside the box.

The Spanish side took out their frustrations on poor old Rayo Vallecano, scoring three goals against their La Liga rivals in a comfortable win.

Looking ahead to Thursday, Valverde’s men certainly look good value to go on and finish the job in front of their home fans.

While we are putting our chips on the Bilbao outfit, we’re also throwing BTTS into the mix. Only Lyon have scored more Europa League away goals than Rangers this season. Should the Scots avoid another early sending off, we’re backing them to get on the scoresheet.

One goal winning margin

There’s no doubt that Rangers are capable of giving their Spanish counterparts a close game – especially if they stay out of the referee’s book.

Afterall, the Scots held Bilbao to a goalless draw being a man down for the vast majority of the opening leg.

Bearing that in mind, we’re backing another close contest over in Spain. A single goal winning margin is our addition to the bet builder.

Nico Williams to score or assist

Spanish forward Nico Williams snapped his four-match scoreless run with a strike against Vallecano over the weekend.

The 22-year-old boasts good numbers in the Europa League, scoring five goals and producing four assists this season.

Two of those goals came against AS Roma in the knockout round as Bilbao secured their spot in the quarter-finals.

With Williams proving to be an influential figure in this comp, we’re backing him to score or assist this Thursday night.

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