Rangers

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

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There was always a sense this tie would be a bridge too far for Rangers. Athletic are flying high in La Liga and on a mission to win this tournament.

However, the Ibrox side have had a habit of performing near miracles on the Europa League stage, consistently defying the odds.

But when Cyriel Dessers' ripped shirt only lead to a yellow card for the Nigerian for dissent rather than a penalty, you got the sense there would be no luck on their side.

Injuries to Ridvan Yilmaz, Ianis Hagi, and Leon Balogun forced Ferguson and his staff into multiple changes of shape as they tried to adjust.

But luck and injuries aside, Rangers were also outclassed over the tie.

Athletic, channelling the energy of a fervent crowd, hounded them out of possession and piled the pressure on in the first half.

Rangers went close to holding out until half-time, but John Souttar's foul robbed them of the chance to regroup with the game goalless.

A brief flurry after the break and the fact their hosts had only found one goal kept hope flickering, but Athletic have the best defensive record in La Liga and largely held them at arms' length until Williams pounced to extinguish it.

Rangers can be proud of another good run at this level, but their season is now over and the questions will start about an uncertain future.

When will the takeover by the San Francisco 49ers group be completed? Who will the manager be? How many players will leave?

These are the only questions left for the club to focus on after a trophy-less season.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hibs have cut the away ticket allocations for their final two home matches this season to allow more of their own fans to attend.

Both Dundee United and final-day visitors Rangers will be given just under 1,500 tickets at Easter Road next month.

When Rangers last played in Leith - the 3-3 draw in January - they had around 2,900 tickets for the 3,800-capacity South Stand.

Hibs fans will now be able to purchase tickets in that stand.

A club statement said: "As we look to create a raucous atmosphere for our final two home fixtures of the season, we have reduced our opponents' allocations to provide more tickets to Hibernian supporters."

Hibs have won their past seven games in the capital and are unbeaten at home since November.

David Gray's side, who last weekend equalled a 77-year club record by making it 17 top-flight games unbeaten, have a three-point lead over Aberdeen and Dundee United with five matches left in the battle to finish third.

Former Rangers defender Maurice Ross hopes progression to the Europa League semi-finals is "written in the stars" for Barry Ferguson's side as they look to make it past Athletic Bilbao tonight after battling to a goalless draw with 10 men in the first leg.

Listen to more build-up on the Scottish football podcast

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Bilbao

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Rangers captain James Tavernier says he hasn't been able to rewatch the Europa League final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, almost three years on from the club's Seville heartache.

Tavernier converted the opening penalty in the shootout against the Germans only to collect a runners-up medal minutes later.

And he is using that disappointment to try to secure a quickfire return to Bilbao for next month's showpiece as Rangers face Athletic in the second leg a quarter-final finely poised at 0-0.

"Still never watched a replay of the game," the defender said.

"When I eventually hang up my boots I will maybe look back at it. It really hurts. To get to the final felt once in a lifetime but we've now got a really good chance to get back there.

"It's a beautiful stadium and it's somewhere we want to come back to for the final.

"It's important we play together as a team, that's what got us to the final the last time. We need to limit their chances and keep 11 men on the pitch.

"It's anyone's game. We need to leave the pitch with no regrets and give it our all, which we will do. We want to give the fans a night to remember too."

When asked why he believes his side have a chance of getting back on to one of European football's grandest stages, he pointed to the continental adventure Rangers have been on this season.

"Look at the opposition we've played so far and the games," Tavernier, 33, said.

"We believe we can take on anyone on our day. European competitions have always been good for us. We have great belief in that changing room.

"We will have to always be concentrated, we will have to suffer without the ball and hopefully we can catch them on the counter."

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Bilbao

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Athletic Bilbao striker Maroan Sannadi has praised Rangers' resilience in last-week's Europa League stalemate but expects his side to finish the job on home soil tonight.

Barry Ferguson's side held the Basque team to a goalless draw in the quarter-final first leg despite playing 77 minutes with 10 men.

"It will be different to the away match. There are an aggressive team with great players and we hope the match will go well," Sannadi said.

"We have to take a positive message from the first match, it was a good result. We had a lot of chances. I hope we'll win the match with the great atmosphere we have at San Mames.

"Each team has its way of playing and I think they have good, high level players, but they had one player less and I don't think they were as aggressive as they can be after that."

Sannadi, who was on loan in the third tier of Spanish football in the first half of the season, insists the Bilbao squad is not feeling any extra pressure despite the city hosting this year's final.

"I dream about getting through," he added. "I don't feel any pressure, neither does the team even though we're playing in front of our crowd.

"We'd had a number of ties but the win on Sunday [3-1 against Rayo Vallecano] has given us a lot of confidence going into such a big game.

"I hope to experience a great atmosphere and that will help us come closer to winning."

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Barry Ferguson should be in with a "serious chance" of becoming permanent Rangers manager, regardless of Thursday's second-leg result in Bilbao, says former Ibrox goalkeeper Cammy Bell.

Ferguson has won just four of his nine matches in charge but has led Rangers to the Europa League quarter-finals and earned a first win at Celtic Park in more than four years.

Victory in their second-leg trip to Athletic Bilbao on Thursday would ensure progression to the Europa League semi-finals, but Bell feels Ferguson has already done enough to "be under consideration" for the permanent role.

"I think he's got a serious chance of getting the job anyway," Bell told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "I think there's got to be consideration for what he's done, the reaction he's got.

"Yes, his league form's not been great, but I think he's certainly brought a spark back to a Rangers team that's really been on its knees at times this season.

"So he will be under consideration, but we don't know where the ownership's going to be. We don't know what their mindset's going to be. They could already have somebody in mind who they want to bring in.

"But all Ferguson can do is win games of football. If he wins this game on Thursday night, it's an incredible achievement."

Borussia Dortmund and USA midfielder Gio Reyna, 22, is a summer transfer target for Rangers, with LAFC also interested, according to MLS Transfers on X. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

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Calum Macdonald
BBC Sport Scotland

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Rangers interim boss Barry Ferguson says that, despite scoring in Sunday's comeback draw at Aberdeen, striker Hamza Igamane needs to add more to his all-round game.

Igamane started in his preferred centre-forward position at Pittodrie and rewarded Ferguson with a goal to start Rangers' fightback from two goals down, but Cyriel Dessers has been Ferguson's go-to striker in Europe.

And, while the former captain was impressed with the Moroccan's performance on Sunday, he's looking for more from the 22-year-old.

"Hamza did well, but Hamza can do a lot more," Ferguson said. "I'm very demanding on that side of his game.

"There's no doubt Hamza's got so much quality, he's technically so gifted, but he needs to add other things to his game. That's something we've been working hard on."

Perhaps those words suggest Igamane will start Thursday's Europa League quarter-final second-leg decider at Athletic Bilbao on the bench.

As well as having a big decision to make in the striking position, Ferguson has more options to choose from all over the pitch with players returning from both injury and suspension.

"Bailey Rice, Leon Balogun, Vaclav Cerny and Ridvan Yilmaz all trained and will hopefully be available tomorrow night," Ferguson revealed.

"I already know my team, the players know my team, and hopefully they'll be ready for tomorrow."

Calum Macdonald
BBC Sport Scotland

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Rangers interim head coach Barry Ferguson has been speaking to the media before their Europa League quarter-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao.

Here are the key points from his news conference:

• Leon Balogun, Vaclav Cerny, Bailey Rice and Ridvan Yilmaz all trained ahead of the second leg and are in contention to play in Bilbao.

• Ferguson says the game is wide open, these are the games you want to be involved in as a player and a manager, but he understands Rangers are up against a team with a very strong home record.

• He says leading Rangers to a European semi-final would be right up there with anything he achieved as a player.

• Keeping eleven men on the pitch will be key to Rangers' chances in Spain, given they have had a player sent off in their past two matches.

• Ferguson thinks Athletic Bilbao are favourites for the competition and was full of praise for them, saying they have some top players and a top manager in Ernesto Valverde.

• When asked if Hamza Igamane's performance on Sunday against Aberdeen gave him a big decision to make, Ferguson said the Moroccan striker did well on Sunday but that he can do a lot more - he's technically very gifted but has to add other aspects to the game. Ferguson revealed the team for tomorrow is already decided and the players already know the team.

• Ferguson says Rangers are well prepared for every eventuality including penalties, with the scores level on aggregate.

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Alex McLeish believes European football may bring "relief" for Rangers players to "express themselves a bit more" amid a wild season of inconsistency.

McLeish's former side are set to take on Athletic Bilbao in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final in Spain on Thursday night.

Barry Ferguson's men held the Spanish visitors to a goalless draw in the first game at Ibrox after playing most of the night with 10 men following defender Robin Propper's red card.

The Govan club have turned in a series of impressive performances in Europe this season, including a last-16 triumph over Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, but they will end the season in Scotland without a trophy.

McLeish managed Rangers between 2001 and 2006, winning a treble among seven trophies, and took them to the last 16 of the Champions League.

"The European competition has been incredible," he said. "Beating Jose Mourinho and putting one on him, that was exceptional.

"And now doing what the team did last week [against Bilbao], it just shows what they have in their lockers, but they've not quite been doing that domestically.

"I don't know if maybe it seems like a relief for some of the players when they go into Europe and they seem to express themselves a bit more than they have done in the domestic league.

"I think there's an element of [underdog mentality] as well. There's definitely psychology involved in it."

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Bilbao

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Athletic Club manager Ernesto Valverde is wary of Rangers' away form ahead of Thursday's decisive Europa League quarter-final match in Bilbao.

The Ibrox side are unbeaten in their last six on the road, winning five of them - including at Fenerbahce in the last 16 and at Celtic.

But the Govan club are winless in six at home, although the goalless draw in the first leg of this tie in Glasgow means it is all to play for in Spain.

"We've played deciding matches here before and won some and lost some," the Athletic boss said.

"We have to play our game, but we have to be aware of them and how they're going to play. They are a great team. They proved it in the competition and in the first leg, and they also made a great comeback on Sunday.

"They've played good matches and if memory doesn't fail they only lost to Manchester United in the last minute."

Valverde highlighted attacking duo Cyriel Dessers and Vaclav Cerny and the impact they have made on this season's competition.

"They have players that work very well in the spaces, Dessers is a beacon and is a dangerous player in counter attacks," he added.

"Cerny is a bullet and is very accurate when it comes to scoring. Maybe this is why they're better away from home.

"They have a good counter-attack. I know they will be dangerous here. But we want to be dangerous for them.

"They went more into defence and did a good job [in the first leg]. We lacked a bit of speed in our play but had enough chances to score and now it's another opportunity."

Valverde may have to face the second leg without Inaki Williams after the forward came off during Athletic's comeback win at home to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

And the former Barcelona boss doesn't think he and his players are feeling the heat as the city prepares to host this season's final.

"Inaki (Williams) is in doubt," he said. "We will see in training today. I'm only going to use players who are 100% for the match.

"It's exactly the same. We know when and where the final is because the date was set a long time ago."

And has Valverde been getting his players to practice their penalty technique ahead of a possible shootout in this match?

"We have to train and prepare everything," he said. "Shooting a penalty in training has nothing to do with doing it for real. It is different.

"Rangers qualified after a shootout against Fenerbahce. Until last year's (Copa Del Rey) final, shootouts hadn't gone well for me.

"We have to focus on the game and how we play. There are a lot of emotions behind it, but we have to set that aside."

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

Rangers face what is pretty much a season-defining game when they take on Athletic Bilbao in the footballing cathedral of San Mames on Thursday night.

Only a fool would write off their chances of pulling off another European upset - and if they were to do so, reaching another Europa League semi-final would be a phenomenal achievement.

It would also give the club's power-brokers a real quandary over the next managerial appointment.

I suspect that when Barry Ferguson was asked to take the reins, it was very much an interim appointment, buying the board time to weigh up their options for next season while negotiating a takeover.

But while results and performances have been far from perfect since Ferguson came in, getting to the last four of a major European tournament would be a massive feather in his cap and an incredible addition to a managerial CV that was previously less than impressive.

On the flip side, I imagine failure to get beyond Athletic will make the board's decision a little more straight-forward, despite impressive victories over Fenerbahce and Celtic.

Either way, as was clear in the second-half performance at Pittodrie and indeed the first leg against Athletic, Ferguson has instilled a greater resilience in the squad and would no doubt back himself to make a decent fist of the job on a permanent basis with the support of new owners.

Interesting times, certainly, and a semi-final place against Manchester United or Lyon would make them all the more so.

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• Athletic Club have only hosted Rangers once before, beating them 2-0 in the Fairs Cup in April 1969. The only other time Athletic have hosted a Scottish club was in two games against Dunfermline in 1965, also in the Fairs Cup, winning 1-0 and then 2-1 in a deciding game.

• Rangers won 3-2 away at Real Betis in their last European game in Spain, having gone 13 away games without winning there beforehand between 1962 and 2018 (D3 L10).

• On the last five occasions Athletic Club have drawn the first leg of a major European tie, they have been eliminated each time. The last time a draw in the first leg was followed up with Athletic getting through to the next round was in the 1976-77 Uefa Cup semi-final against RWD Molenbeek.

• Rangers scored in each of their first nine Europa League matches this season, netting 19 goals. However, they have failed to score in their last two, having 27 shots without finding the net.

• Athletic Club are the only team with a 100% win ratio on home soil in the Europa League this season, winning all five games. They have never won six home games in a major European season before, winning five in 1976-77 under Koldo Aguirre and five in 2011-12 under Marcelo Bielsa.

• Only Lyon (13) have scored more away Europa League goals than Rangers (11) this season, while only Lazio (four) have won more games than the Gers (three). Rangers have never previously won four away matches in a major European campaign.

• Rangers captain James Tavernier has played 62 major European matches for the Gers, level with John Greig, with only Allan McGregor playing more times (78). He has also made the most appearances of any Englishman in the Europa League (58) and only Andreas Ulmer for RB Salzburg (61) and Matheus for Braga (58) have more for a single club than his 56 for Rangers.

• Oscar De Marcos could make a record breaking 58th major European appearance for Athletic Club in this match, overtaking former team-mate Markel Susaeta who is level with him on 57 games currently.

Borussia Monchengladbach and Hoffenheim are interested in signing Ianis Hagi on a free transfer this summer, according to former Romania striker Adrian Ilie, but discussions over fresh terms with Rangers for the 26-year-old midfielder are still also ongoing. (The National), external

Celtic and Rangers have joined the race to sign 17-year-old England youth winger Jesse Derry, who is out-of-contract this summer after rejecting a professional deal with Crystal Palace and could leave for a compensation fee. (Scottish Sun), external

Sir Alex Ferguson once sounded out Alex McLeish about the possibility of signing Barry Ferguson to replace Roy Keane at Manchester United after the Scottish manager fell out with the Republic of Ireland midfielder and the former Rangers playmaker had moved to Blackburn Rovers. (Glasgow Times), external

Heart of Midlothian are set to appoint Laurie Ellis, who is lead coach with Rangers' under-15 and under-16 teams, as their new head of academy. (Daily Record), external

Scottish FA president Mike Mulraney has initiated discussions on a shared stadium of between 3,000 to 5,000 spectators for Celtic, Rangers and Glasgow City's women's teams in a push to accelerate the growth of the game ahead of Scotland co-hosting the 2035 Women's World Cup. (The Herald), external

Rangers have earned around £13m for their participation and performance in the Europa League this season and that could rise to £60m should they reach the final and win it. (The National), external

Bilbao police have cancelled all leave ahead of this week's Europa League quarter-final between Rangers and Athletic Club as they mount a major security operation and prepare to welcome more than 5,000 fans of the Glasgow club to the Basque city. (Glasgow Times), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Watch as the Sportscene team rate Rangers' chances of progressing in the Europa League.

Available in UK only

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

Another game and another two-goal start given to the opposition. It's alarming. But the positive was the fightback to gain a draw with goals from Hamza Igamane and Ianis Hagi.

I was pleased with the team Barry Ferguson picked because Thursday's second leg against Athletic Bilbao is the bigger match by some distance. When you don't have the squad depth and a few injuries, you don't risk players in a dead rubber.

Moving on to Thursday, there are a few things for Ferguson to ponder even though he says he knows how he's going to approach the game.

Number one, what does he do in terms of shape? The back three worked in Istanbul and at Parkhead, but last Thursday we looked better in a back four and with Dujon Sterling out, that's the way I'd go.

Second issue is who plays up front. Danilo played himself out of contention, so it's either Cyriel Dessers or Igamane.

Personally, I think a trip to San Mames is tailor made for Igamane.

Either way, it's going to be a tough ask to qualify for the semi-final, but you just never know with this team in Europe.

Hopefully next week I'll be talking about the season still being alive rather than have to talk about five meaningless domestic matches.

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Rangers need to get their tactics "bang on the button" if they are to beat Athletic Bilbao and progress to the Europa League semi-final, says interim manager Barry Ferguson.

The Ibrox side make the trip to Spain on Thursday with everything to play for after Liam Kelly's late penalty heroics kept the tie goalless in Govan.

And after digging in, again, from two goals down to rescue a draw with Aberdeen at the weekend in the league, despite being a man down, attention and excitement returns to facing the La Liga side who are "a step up".

"I can't wait," said Ferguson. "I am excited about going, but I'm also respectful. It's going to be tough for us, but as a footballer, as a manager, I'm excited about it and getting into that sort of atmosphere.

"What an opportunity we've got. The game's wide open. The main thing for me on Thursday night was making sure we were still in the tie, and with the performance, the guys deserved to be.

"We'll go there on Thursday knowing our jobs, what way we're going to play, because we need to get it spot on. We do really need to get it spot on. That's up to me and the coaching staff to make sure we do it over Tuesday and Wednesday.

"I look at the last two games, the last round to get into the quarters, Fenerbahce, and now Athletic Club, they're different. They (Bilbao) are a step up. I know Lyon, when we played them at home, they were very good middle to front, but it's a step up."

Fourth in the Spanish top flight, Ferguson is well aware of the task at hand against Ernesto Valverde's side but praised his players receptiveness to his new approach since arriving in late February.

"We need to be bang on the button with our tactics," the former club captain added.

"There's going to be a bit of work on the training ground, but I have to give the boys a lot of credit.

"They've been brilliant at taking the information on. It's tough because it's a different way that we're playing tactically, with and without the ball as well, so we know there's a lot of work to be done, but we'll get there, and we'll be prepared and ready to go on Thursday night."

Marseille are considering a summer bid below Rangers' valuation of £20m for forward Hamza Igamane, but Bayer Leverkusen, Everton, Nice, Rennes and Tottenham Hotspur are also all keen on the 22-year-old Morocco international. (TeamTalk), external

Of Rangers' four on-loan players, 27-year-old Czech winger Vaclav Cerny is the one prospective new owner 49ers Enterprises would "love" to sign permanently from Wolfsburg. (Football Insider), external

Tom Lawrence looks set to move on from Rangers for free this summer with replacements for the 31-year-old Wales midfielder already being eyed up at Ibrox. (Football Insider), external

Rangers are open to selling captain James Tavernier this summer as the 33-year-old right-back enters the final year of his contract at Ibrox. (Football Insider), external

Prospective owner 49ers Enterprises is set to make money available for Rangers to bring in six new signings as the Ibrox club attempt to close the gap on Celtic this summer. (Football Insider), external

Former Rangers and Scotland defender Russell Martin will be in the running for the Ibrox job this summer, with interim head coach Barry Ferguson almost certain to depart at the end of the season. (Football Insider), external

Aberdeen's inconsistency under Jimmy Thelin this season will likely rule him out of the running to become Rangers' next manager as their prospective new owner eyes a big name team boss. (Football Insider), external

Former Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has been fired by Brazilian club Santos just three games into the new season after two defeats and a draw. (The Herald), external

Athletic Bilbao are facing a huge sweat ahead of Thursday's Europa League quarter-final second leg with Rangers after forward Inaki Williams suffered a hamstring strain. (The National), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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"We are really looking forward to it and I'm very confident, I know something great is going to come our way this time."

It's fair to say midfielder Mohamed Diomande is optimistic about Rangers' Europa League quarter-final second leg with Athleitc Bilbao.

The tie is finely poised at 0-0, and Barry Ferguson's side can take heart from their stellar form away from home in Europe this season, with wins at Malmo, Nice and Fenerbahce, as well as a couple of draws against Dynamo Kyiv and Olympiacos.

"Like we all know, we've done really well in our away games in Europe and Thursday is going to be another one," said Diomande.

"You know the chance we have now to play in the semi-final and it's going to start on Thursday. We are really together and we believe we can do it."

Diomande was suspended for the first leg, but the 23-year-old will "give his best" to get a chance of playing his part this week.

"It was difficult for me to sit down, to not try to move for every action last Thursday," he added.

"But I was really glad with what my team did, with their effort, their commitment and the fight they had for each other.

"We still have two training sessions before we go (to Spain), so I'm going to give my best in training and I really hope I get a chance to play on Thursday and help my team."

• St Mirren v Rangers - Saturday, 26 April 2025

• Rangers v Celtic - Sunday, 4 May 2025

• Rangers v Aberdeen - Sunday, 11 May 2025

• Rangers v Dundee Utd - Wednesday, 14 May 2025

• Hibernian v Rangers - Saturday, 17 May 2025

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