Two of the Scottish Premiership‘s top performers will come together on Saturday afternoon as Rangers host Hibernian at the Ibrox Stadium.
The hosts are second in the league with 65 points from 31 games, while the visitors are third in the standings with 47 points from 31 fixtures.
Match preview
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Rangers have experienced a mixed 2024-25 season, failing to compete at any stage for the Scottish Premiership title, losing to Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final and being unexpectedly eliminated from the Scottish FA Cup by Queen’s Park.
The Gers, however, are still in contention for the Europa League trophy – with a quarter-final clash against Athletic Bilbao on the horizon – while they are within touching distance of confirming second place in the Scottish Premiership.
Barry Ferguson, who took over from the dismissed Philippe Clement, will be aiming to continue their recent strong form ahead of their Europa League clash and to confirm second spot in the league.
Rangers have won four and lost two of their six matches under Ferguson, though one of the defeats was followed by a penalty victory to progress past Fenerbahce, including back-to-back wins in the league leading into this clash.
While the Gers do have little to play for domestically, the Gers are not only aiming to maintain their positive momentum for the Europa League but also as a foundation for next season.
However, they are set to face a challenging opponent in Hibernian, who are the Scottish Premiership’s most in-form side over recent weeks – having avoided defeat in all of their past 15 league outings.
David Gray‘s side initially made a dreadful start to the 2024-25 season, as Hibs placed bottom of the league table after 16 matchdays with only two wins, six draws and eight defeats in that time.
A 3-1 victory against Ross County in mid-December sparked a sensational run for Hibs, with Gray’s side picking up 10 wins and five draws from the following 15 league outings.
Those results have lifted Hibernian from bottom of the standings to third in the Scottish Premiership table, sitting 18 points behind Rangers and nine above seventh-placed St Mirren – meaning their place in the top half of the table is already secured.
Despite that, Hibs will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten run in the league with their sights set on as high a finish as possible as they strive to secure European football next term.
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Neraysho Kasanwirjo has failed to make an appearance for Rangers since mid-November due to an ongoing injury issue, and the defender is unable to feature in this one.
On the back of their superb 4-3 comeback win against Dundee – scoring three goals in the last 15 minutes to turn come from 3-1 down to win – Ferguson could opt to name a similar team here.
Tom Lawrence came off the bench to score the equalising goal in that game, and the attacking midfielder could start alongside Cyriel Dessers and Hamza Igamane in attack.
As for Hibernian, Joe Newell (groin) and Nicky Cadden (hamstring) are both unlikely to feature due to ongoing injury issues, while the remainder of the squad should be available for selection.
Martin Boyle has been a key part of Hibernian’s turnaround, scoring 10 goals in 29 league appearances, and the striker could start alongside Kieron Bowie after both netted in the 3-0 win against St Johnstone last time out.
Rangers possible starting lineup:
Butland; Sterling, Souttar, Balogun; Tavernier, Barron, Raskin, Yilmaz; Lawrence; Dessers, Igamane
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Smith; Miller, Kiranga, Iredale; Cadden, Triantis, Levitt, Obita; Hoilett; Boyle, Bowie
We say: Rangers 2-1 Hibernian
While Hibernian are in terrific form, Rangers have won all of the last five meetings at Ibrox Stadium, and we expect that home advantage to help lead them to victory on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
