Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers Bet Builder Tips, Betting Preview

Athletic Bilbao were much the better team in last week’s first leg at Ibrox
Stadium but couldn’t add the finishing touch to their promising approach play, hitting the target with just two of their 18 attempts in their frustrating 0-0 stalemate with Rangers.

Clever operator Oihan Sancet delivered one of those two shots on target and we’ve picked out the attacking midfielder as a strong shot-market prospect again ahead of Thursday’s crucial rematch.

The 24-year-old should have a kick in his step having scored twice from the bench against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday and with Athletic Club likely to dominate against Rangers, Sancet should have more opportunities to let fly.

Sancet, who has been averaging a solid 1.53 shots and 1.03 shots on target per 90 minutes for Athletic Club in the Europa League this season, is in the midst of an eight-match streak in all competitions where he has landed at least one shot on target and he appeals in the same niche here.

Rangers’ combative midfielder Nicolas Raskin kept his nose clean and didn’t commit a single foul in last week’s first leg, though the 24-year-old did have to take the edge off his tackling following an early red card for teammate Robin Propper, and we expect the Belgian to play with more bite on Thursday.

A foul count of zero was a major departure from the norm for Raskin, who had been fouling at a rapid rate in the Europa League for Rangers before that.

In fact, Raskin has racked up 28 fouls in the UEL this term, which is 13 more than any other Rangers player in the tournament, while the anchorman’s output of 2.89 fouls per 90 minutes is also a club-high figure among the team’s regular starters.

Before Raskin’s uncharacteristically tame display against Athletic Bilbao a week ago, the Belgian committed exactly three fouls in four successive Europa League fixtures and three or more in seven out of eight runouts in the competitions before that overall.

Raskin should have a hefty defensive workload to plough through at the San Mamés Barria on Thursday evening and we recommend backing him to commit 2+ fouls in Spain.

Holding midfielder Mikel Jauregizar was collared for two fouls at Ibrox Stadium last week, though that haul was nothing unusual for a player who is often tasked with cleaning up the mess by any means necessary when Athletico turn possession over.

Indeed, the 21-year-old has been committing 2.10 fouls per 90 minutes in the Europa League and 1.90 p/90 in La Liga this season, and clearly operating with a remit to disrupt and destroy, Jauregizar could be a worthwhile addition to slips in the 2+ fouls bracket again on Thursday.

The youngster, who committed three fouls in each leg of Athletic Bilbao’s win over Roma in the Round of 16, has clocked 2+ fouls in four straight fixtures in the Europa League overall, so bettors should expect Jaruegizar to be on the referee’s radar again here.