Celtic fans have made fun of Gers all season &now the punchlineit is changing

Spaniards' ineptitude leaves door wide open for Fergie to reach final

- HUGH KEEVINS

PATHETIC BILBAO will go out of Europe by losing to Rangers in the Basque country on Thursday night.

And, by virtue of their obvious ineptitude, forfeit the chance to contest the Europa League Final inside their own stadium next month.

Celtic, who will be crowned league champions for the fourth time in a row today if Rangers lose to Aberdeen at Pittodrie, run the risk of possibly winning the Treble for a world recordbreaking ninth time and being the runners-up in the story of the season competition.

In a campaign in which Rangers have suffered the worst result in their history - losing to Queen's Park in the Scottish Cup and assembled the longest run of home defeats since the club began 153 years ago, the chances are Barry Ferguson will bring a European trophy to Ibrox.

I was laughed at for saying Rangers, in the midst of a domestic season that diminished their reputation, would make the at the end of a campaign which began when they couldn't make a shipment of building materials turn up on time to renovate a stand.

But some things are bigger than all of us and fate is one of them.