MY ACCOUNT
After the drama of a 2-2 draw with PSV Eindhoven at Ibrox in Champions League qualifying in midweek, Rangers now switch their attentions to Saturday’s 12.30pm Scottish Premiership kick-off at Hibernian.
The Light Blues have made a perfect start to the season with three wins from three as they head across the M8 to the capital.
Hibernian have made a stuttering start to the season with a win, draw and loss in their opening three games before this weekend’s clash at Easter Road.
Team news
Following a 2-1 defeat to Livingston in their last game, Hibernian boss Lee Johnson will have to continue without the injured Kyle Magennis for the arrival of the Light Blues, as he continues to recover from a knee injury.
Aiden McGeady, Kevin Nesbit and Demetri Mitchell are also expected to miss out but Rocky Bushiri and Josh Campbell are in contention after returning to training this week.
As for the visiting Gers, manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst suffered no fresh injuries to his squad from their Tuesday night endeavours against PSV.
That means Kemar Roofe and Ianis Hagi are the only players unavailable as they recover from a knock and a knee injury respectively.
James Sands looks set to start again in the backline after overcoming illness to face PSV, while Alfredo Morelos was on the bench and will push Antonio Colak for a starting role.
The stats
Rangers are unbeaten in their last 15 league meetings against Hibernian, with the Old Firm outfit winning 10 of those.
Easter Road has been a happy hunting ground for the Light Blues in recent years, with Rangers winning all of their last three visits to Leith without conceding a goal.
Gers are unbeaten on their last eight trips to Hibernian, with Hibs’ last home win against the Glasgow giants coming back in April 2016 with a 3-2 success in the Scottish Championship.
Prediction
Despite the distraction of being one game away from reaching the Champions League group stages, Rangers should have enough about them to claim all three points in the capital this weekend.
Hibs are still finding their feet under new manager Lee Johnson, who himself is adapting to his first managerial position north of the border, having had a very brief spell across the city at Hearts and with Kilmarnock as a player.
Van Bronckhorst has the depth in his squad to tinker with things if he feels it necessary but at this very early stage of the season it might not be.
Morelos could be handed valuable minutes as the Colombian works his way back to full fitness, while Colak has made a strong start to his Rangers’ career.
Not only should Rangers win this weekend but they might well extend their impressive run of keeping clean sheets at Easter Road to four games.
A win for Rangers would also put the pressure on rivals and defending champions Celtic, who must wait until Sunday before they host Edinburgh opposition of their own in the form of Hearts at Parkhead.
