A dramatic penalty shoot-out victory last night saw Gers defeat Fenerbahce to book a place in the last eight.
The La Liga side will visit Ibrox on April 10, before Barry Ferguson’s men head out to Bilbao for the second-leg the following Thursday.
Here’s a look at our quarter-final opponents:
Europa League 2025/26
Athletic Club finished second in the league phase of the competition with an impressive six wins, one draw and one defeat in their eight matches.
Their victories came over AZ Alkmaar, Slavia Praha, Ludogorets, Elfsborg, Fenerbahce and Viktoria Plzen. Their only defeat came at the hands of Besiktas, with a draw against Roma in the opening game.
In the round of 16, they came up against Roma once again, and following a 2-1 defeat in the first-leg were able to turn it around to win 3-1 at home to reach quarter-finals.
History
Founded in 1898, Athletic Club is the fourth most successful team in La Liga, with eight league titles to their name.
A proud advocate of supporting academy players, Athletic Club’s philosophy is governed by a code which states they may only field players who have come through their own academy, the academies of other clubs in the Basque Country or players who were born in Basque Country regions.
Previous Meetings
Rangers and Athletic Club have only met twice previously, in the quarter-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in season 1968/69.
David White’s side ran out 4-1 winners in the first-leg at Ibrox, with goals from Alex Ferguson, Andy Penman, Orjan Persson and Colin Stein.
It was the Spanish side who came out on top in the second-leg with a 2-0 victory, but Rangers progressed 4-3 to set-up a semi-final tie with Newcastle United.
Scottish Opponents
Athletic Club first came up against Scottish opposition back in 1923 when Dundee visited Bilbao for two friendly games and have faced five Scottish clubs so far in their history.
Prior to facing Rangers in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1968/69, Athletic Club faced Dunfermline Athletic in the same competition in 1964/65.
They have also faced Motherwell and Celtic in friendly matches over the years, the most recent being against Celtic in 2023.
Stadium
Athletic Club play their home matches at San Mamés, which was rebuilt in 2013, and is known as The Cathedral.
With a capacity of over 53,000, the impressive stadium was built in the same location as the old San Mamés which served the club for 100 years from 1913.
The stadium was one of 13 venues to host UEFA Euro 2020 matches.
