Madrid, April 16 (IANS) The Athletic Club of Bilbao aims to reach the semifinals of a European competition for the third time in their history when they face Glasgow Rangers in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday night.
The San Mames stadium is sold out as fans hope for another night of European magic after overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit with a 3-0 win over Roma in the last round.
With San Mames hosting this season’s final, this is Athletic’s chance to improve on their previous best performances in the competition, having been a beaten finalist in 1977 and 2012, reports Xinhua.
In theory, things should be easier against the Scottish club on Thursday after a 0-0 draw in the first leg, although Athletic wasted several chances, including a second-half penalty, to have virtually assured its progress already.
The good news for the Basque side is that top-scoring midfielder Oihan Sancet is now fully recovered from his ankle problem, as he showed with two second-half goals when Athletic roared back from a goal down to win 3-1 at home to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Midfielder Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta has also overcome a hamstring problem.
That influential duo played only 35 minutes each at the weekend, and defenders Oscar de Marcos and Yeray Alvarez both sat out the entire game, but will be back against Rangers. However, Inaki Williams is a doubt after suffering a slight hamstring strain on Sunday.
Rangers are the underdogs in the return leg but will take heart from their good away form in Europe, with wins away to Malmo, Nice, and Fenerbahce, along with draws against Olympiakos and Dynamo Kiev.
Coach Barry Fergusson is without Robin Propper after he was sent off in the first leg, while Dujon Sterling is out with a tendon injury he picked up last week. However, Mohamed Diomande will be able to play in midfield after a suspension ruled him out a week ago.
Athletic will look to control the game early in front of their fans in San Mames, but the team has struggled to break down the type of five-man defence Rangers are likely to field. Rangers, meanwhile, will look to take advantage of free kicks to try and get the ball into the Athletic’s penalty area.
–IANS
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