Rangers will face Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League quarter-finals after edging through a thrilling tie against Fenerbahce in the previous round.
They safely navigated their way to the last eight after a penalty shoot-out at Ibrox and will be eager to upset the odds against the La Liga outfit.
Read on as we look at the quarter-final draw and latest outright betting, before assessing whether Rangers can progress to the semi-finals.
Europa League 2024/25 – Quarter-final draw
- Bodo/Glimt vs Lazio
- Tottenham Hotspur vs Eintracht Frankfurt
- Rangers vs Athletic Bilbao
- Lyon vs Manchester United
Europa League 2024/25 – Betting odds
With features like fast withdrawals becoming hugely popular on betting sites, wagering on the Europa League has gone through the roof this season.
The continued involvement of three British clubs has cranked up interest in UEFA’s second tier competition, and punters will be clamouring to bet on the outright market.
Athletic are the new favourites to lift the trophy after being paired with Rangers, but there is little to choose between the teams at the top of the market. Here are the latest outright odds:
- Athletic Bilbao – 10/3
- Manchester United - 7/2
- Tottenham Hotspur – 4/1
- Lazio – 4/1
- Eintracht Frankfurt – 7/1
- Lyon – 11/1
- Rangers – 20/1
- Bodo/Glimt – 40/1
Rangers bidding to upset the odds against Athletic
Although Rangers undoubtedly rode their luck against Fenerbahce, they ultimately found a way to progress into the quarter-finals of the competition.
The Scottish Premiership giants took a useful 3-1 lead into the second leg at Ibrox, but tested their fans’ nerves on a night of high drama in Glasgow.
Goals from midfielder Sebastian Szymanski in each half brought the visitors level on aggregate and they pushed for a winner for the rest of the game.
Jose Mourinho's side were incensed in extra-time by a decision not to award a penalty after Nicolas Raskin appeared to trip Mert Hakan Yandas in the box.
There was an even greater sense of injustice later on when Yandas skied the decisive penalty over the bar during a thrilling shootout.
However, the wild celebrations which swept around Ibrox indicated that Rangers fans were completely unconcerned about his misfortune.
While interim manager Barry Ferguson has plenty of problems to fix at Rangers, he appears to be generating a positive bond between the players and fans.
They will need that unity more than ever against Athletic, who defeated Roma 4-3 on aggregate to reach this stage of the competition.
Ferguson admitted after the game that he has been working to improve the squad’s mindset after months of underwhelming performances under previous manager Philippe Clement.
"They showed character in abundance and we have to do that going forward,” he told TNT Sports. “Overall, I'm just delighted to be into the quarters.
"One thing I think has been missing is character. One thing the players are doing is they're listening. We've still got to work at a lot of things, but that tonight is what my teams are built on.
"When you play against really good teams, they're going to hurt you in stages and you have to let them have the ball. I'm proud of the players and I'm just delighted for the club as whole.
"I know they're good players, but it takes more than a good player at Rangers - that's something we're trying to drill into them.
“Tonight was a big test for them and I think they came through it. It's easy for your head to go down at 2-0, but they never gave in."
Athletic will unquestionably be a step up in quality from Fenerbahce, and Rangers will need to up their game to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals.
The winners of the tie will face either Lyon or Manchester United, and Rangers fans will be praying their team can set up a ‘Battle of Britain’ against the Red Devils.
Man United defeated Real Sociedad 5-2 on aggregate on the previous round, while Lyon claimed a 7-1 win overall against FCSB.
Several potential winners are lurking in the other half of the draw, including Lazio, Tottenham Hotspur and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Lazio will fancy their chances of making further progress after being paired with Bodo/Glimt, but the other quarter-final tie is tough to call.
Tottenham laboured past AZ Alkmaar in the previous round, but are still rated as one of the favourites to win the Europa League this season.
However, Eintracht’s 6-2 aggregate victory over Ajax in the previous round suggests online bookmakers could have been underestimated their chances.