Rangers travel to Spain looking to do the unthinkable and remove another team from a top five league in Athletic Club.
Last time a La Liga side needed to be put to the sword, Philippe Clement guided an injury plagued Rangers squad past Real Betis on their own patch and Barry Ferguson will be hoping to do the same.
A 0-0 draw with 10 and then nine men was deserved at Ibrox and there will be no fears ahead of a Europa League quarter-final that could be another memorable night.
There will be around 2,650 Rangers fans in Bilbao, officially, to watch their team out of a capacity of 53,000, not that this will make any difference as already shown at Old Trafford and against Fenerbahce this season.
According to Athletic’s social media team, there is only going to be one deciding factor.
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Athletic Club counting on one factor to beat Rangers
The Estadio de San Mames was built in 2013 and is one of many new stadia that have the same, sterile, bowl shape.
Compare and contrast with Ibrox and its 125-year old main stand, and it really is no competition.
Ibrox on a Thursday night might be the stuff of folklore, however, the traveling support is also a force to be reckoned with, as former player Carlos Cuellar recently explained:
“80,000 people attended that final in Seville (in 2022), although only 15,000 had tickets,” Cuellar said.
“There were 200,000 fans (in Manchester), the vast majority without tickets, which was mind-blowing.”
The Athletic’s social media account on X reckons that being at the San Mames will be the deciding factor.
Rangers fans will make themselves heard against Athletic
There will be more than 2,650 Rangers fans in the San Mames, one way or another, and you can guarantee that they will make themselves heard.
As with the run in 2022, there is a hint of arrogance emanating from Athletic, like the job is already done.
How can a team of Spanish internationals possibly get beat off a team from Scotland, right?
It will be the same in the stands too, an early goal and it could play into Rangers’ hands after a first leg in which Liam Kelly was rarely troubled, despite the shortage of numbers in front of him.
The numbers won’t be so short in Bilbao.
