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Preview: Hibernian vs. Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 18 August 2022, 10:34
Rangers will be hoping to maintain their perfect start to their Scottish Premiership campaign on Saturday when they make the journey to face Hibernian at Easter Road.

The hosts have had a mixed results across the opening trio of fixtures, but have now failed to win since the opening day of the season.

Match preview

After starting out their campaign with an impressive 1-0 victory against St Johnstone, Hibernian have failed to secure three points in the following two games of the season.

A draw against Hearts was followed up by a 2-1 loss at the hands of Livingston in their most recent outing, which is something that they will now be attempting to put behind them.

The Hibees fell behind in the sixth minute of that game, but an equaliser from Nohan Kenneh seemed to provide Lee Johnson's team with some hope, only for them to concede an 86th-minute goal in the 86th minute.

Last season the club finished eighth, which they are aiming to improve upon, with a potential victory at the weekend giving them the chance to potentially move up to third place.

In order to do that Hibernian will need to do something that they failed at last season, which is defeat Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

The Gers were dominant in their performances against the Hibees in the SPL during the 2021-22 campaign which led to them picking up nine points from their three matches.

Ultimately, those results were not enough for Rangers to win the title as they fell short of the mark, but they have immediately started this season in strong form as they look to get back on top.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has witnessed his team win all three of their opening league games in impressive fashion, with the latest outing seeing them defeat St Johnstone 4-0.

All four goals came from different players in that match, showcasing the attacking qualities that the Gers have across the squad, while their defensive abilities were just as clear as they secured their second clean sheet of the season.

Rangers also continued their European campaign in midweek with a 2-2 draw against PSV where Antonio Colak and Tom Lawrence got on the scoresheet, with their second leg taking place next week.

Hibernian Scottish Premiership form:

Hibernian form (all competitions):

Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

Rangers form (all competitions):

Team News

Both Rocky Bushiri and Josh Campbell are in contention to be available for Hibernian this weekend after returning to training during the week, which would provide a major boost to Johnson's options.

Saturday's fixture will come too soon for Kyle Magennis though, who has been on the shelf for 11 months, as he is not expected to be back on the grass in team sessions until the end of this month, while Aiden McGeady is also unavailable due to a knee ligament problem.

Kevin Nesbit has been involved in some aspects of training, but he is also not expected to be available for the Hibees yet, and Demetri Mitchell is also injured due to a hamstring problem.

James Sands was able to return for Rangers in midweek despite an illness that kept him out of the 4-0 win against St Johnstone, and he should retain his place in the back line.

Alfredo Morelos was an unused substitute in their recent European outing as the forward continued to battle back to full fitness, which will likely provide Colak with more opportunities.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:

Marshall; Cadden, Porteous, Hanlon, Cabraja; Newell, Kenneh; Henderson, Tavares, Melkersen; Youan

Rangers possible starting lineup:

McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Sands, Barisic; Lawrence, Davis, Lundstram; Colak, Tillman, Kent

We say: Hibernian 0-2 Rangers

Hibernian might be undefeated at Easter Road so far this season, but they are welcoming a Rangers team in fine form who are looking to push to become champions this season.

While Johnson's men might provide some stern competition for the Gers, it is expected that the visitors will have too much for the hosts on this occasion.

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