Rangers take on Hibernian tomorrow in what is sure to be a cracking atmosphere at Ibrox. Both sides won their opening league fixtures and will be looking to build upon their positive form. After the debacle of the Scottish Cup Final in 2016, both sets of fans will be looking forward to this. Media attention will be focused on off-field antics as much as what happens on the park.
Hibs last five fixtures have been:
League Cup Section – Ross County (away), 0-0 draw
League Cup Section – Arbroath (home), 6-1 win
League Cup Section – Alloa Athletic (away), 3-0 win
Scottish Premiership, week 1 – Partick Thistle (home), 3-1 win
League Cup Round 2 – Ayr United (home), 5-0 win
They’ve scored a number of goals in their last four games and will be confident that they can get a result at Ibrox. Recent signings like Whittaker and Stokes have been among the goals, with Swanson also playing well. Whilst they lost Jason Cummings in the summer, they’ve held on to John McGinn, who is a key player for them.
As I’ve stated in previous articles, I’m of the opinion Hibs have a good squad for Scottish football. They’re a top 6 side quite easily, and have players capable of playing at a higher level. One thing Rangers fans can be prone to doing is underestimating other sides in Scotland without any real knowledge of what they’re judging. We have had stronger squads face weaker Hibs teams and lost games in the past. Any dismissal of their ability simply plays down how well we’re doing if we win the game.
One of the most interesting aspects of tomorrow is the approach Hibs will take. Lennon will be desperate to win, but has shown in the past that he’s not entirely attack-minded. With recent numbers of goals, they’ll be tempted to have a go, but they’ll know that it’s a risky approach at Ibrox. Our friendlies against Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday suggested that we’ll be better when teams come out to play against us.
I believe there will be a few key individual battles on the day:
MORE RANGERS STORIES
WINDASS v WHITTAKER
The Rangers fans are going to give Whittaker a torrid time, and we’ll be hoping Windass can do exactly the same. Whittaker has had a good career and is very useful going forward, but he’s not great when someone with pace gets a chance to run at him. Windass will need to be wary in the defensive sense, though, especially during any spells of the game where Hibs have control in midfield.
JACK v MCGINN
Hibs have a decent midfield 3 of McGinn, Bartley and Swanson available which offers a good balance. Whilst Swanson will be the more attack-minded of those three if they all play, McGinn is the one who will be charged with winning the battle in midfield. As such, he’ll be in competition with Ryan Jack as to who can dictate the tempo of the match. Jack didn’t misplace a pass against Motherwell last weekend, and many of those passes were hit forward into good areas. We are playing with a real attacking intent of late, and less “safe” passes are made, so it may be that we don’t control possession for as long as we used to. Whichever of these two has the better game will be a huge factor on the result.
MILLER v AMBROSE
Of our three forwards, Kenny Miller is the certain starter. His role is more of an attacking midfielder than a striker these days, but he gets himself forward enough to be amongst the goals and assists. Ambrose is a defender prone to mistakes in big games, but he also has the ability to play well. He’s a Titus Bramble type, with all the attributes you’d want bar consistency and concentration. Miller’s movement and big-game attitude will be key, and if Ambrose does have a lapse in any way, Kenny is our best bet to capatalise.
There’s only one position in the starting eleven which is uncertain, and that’s the main forward role. The goals from Morelos on Wednesday, plus his overall performance, may have pushed him to the front, but if Herrera is fit I suspect he’ll start.
Foderingham
Tavernier
Cardoso
Alves
Wallace
Candeias
Jack
Dorrans
Windass
Miller
Herrera
There’s been a lot made of the opening six fixtures and how we need to win every one of them. That’s something that almost never happens, and is asking a lot of a squad which is still learning how to play together. Of those games, I consider this one to be the most difficult, so that would logically suggest I don’t think we’ll get a positive result. However, I have a feeling we’re in for a cracking game which Rangers will win 2-0.
Any thoughts on the game? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk to discuss!