Rangers 'greatest asset' that Athletic Bilbao must be wary of (2025)

The La Liga high-flyers played against 10 men for 77 minutes in the first leg at Ibrox but were unable to break down Gers

Athletic Bilbao legend Aitor Larrazabal has urged his old team to learn from their mistakes and be patient in their decisive Europa League quarter-final against Rangers.

Despite playing against 10 men from the 13th minute after Robin Propper saw red, the La Liga high-flyers were unable to break down Barry Ferguson's stubborn side, with Alex Berenguer seeing a late penalty kick saved by Liam Kelly to leave the tie very much in the balance going into the second leg at the San Mames on Thursday.

And Larrazabal - who made over 400 appearances for the Basque club between 1990 and 2004 - insists that Athletic could get caught out on the counter attack if they try to go out and blow Gers away within the first 10 minutes.

Speaking on Radio Bilbao (via CadeNaser), he said: "Athletic, as the home team, has the obligation to go all out.

"It's something they do well in many matches, but it can also lead to mistakes.

"And that can benefit Rangers' greatest asset, which is the quick transition after losing their opponent. That's where Athletic have to be very careful.

"They need to be patient because you can't win the game in the first ten minutes.

"This is precisely what happened to the team in the first leg after Propper's sending off: "The other day the team rushed Rangers when they were down to one man, trying to win the game too early.

"Rangers defended very well, with great order and judgment. In terms of effort, having an extra player takes the workload off and allows you to divide it up more, but the idea will be the same.

"That's where patience and a high pace come in, which are not incompatible."

Larrazabal is hopeful his former side can rise to the occasion on Thursday night, with a capacity crowd of 53,289 - including around 2,600 Rangers fans - expected in the San Mames stadium.

He added: "The high pressure and the enthusiasm of the San Mamés crowd are factors that can lead to a goal that puts you ahead, meaning you're not in such a hurry and your opponent has to offer you space to seal the win.

"It won't be easy, but we would all have agreed to play the return leg at San Mamés with this 0-0 result."

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