Spain's No.1 keeper Unai Simon has confirmed he won't play at Ibrox this week in the Europa League quarter-final because of Athletic Bilbao's rotation policy.
Rangers face the Spanish cracks in the first leg in Glasgow and will be desperate to avoid a sixth home defeat in a row.
But they won't come up against Euro 2024 hero and one of the best keepers in the world, Simon. because they play their back-up keeper Julen Agirrezabala in European games instead...and they won't change that even in the latter stages of the competition.
Simon said: "I'm not going to play in Glasgow.
"European competition belongs to Julen. He'll have to be ready for anything at Ibrox because he's the one who plays in Europe."
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Simon, 27, has been Spain's keeper for both the previous World Cup and the European Championships, where he helped them beat England in the final.
However, Athletic manager Ernesto Valverde has opted to use 24-year-old back-up Agirrezabala for nine European games this season, including in both of their games against Roma in the last round.
Last season, he played in every minute of Bilbao's Copa del Rey run and was the hero in the penalty shootout in the final against Mallorca as they claimed the trophy for the first time in 40 years.
And he will be in goal in Glasgow.
