Rangers vs Hibernian: Scottish Premiership Preview
Scottish Premiership: Rangers vs Hibernian
Date: Monday, 15 December Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow Time: 19:45 GMT
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, live text commentary available on the BBC Sport website & app.
Rangers are currently undefeated in the Scottish Premiership under manager Danny Rohl as they seek a third victory over Hibernian this season. Rohl has instilled a sense of stability and pragmatism following the tumultuous tenure of Russell Martin.
Since Rohl's appointment, Rangers have secured five wins from seven league matches, matching their total from the previous 18 games. The team has also achieved four clean sheets in their last six top-flight outings, equaling their total from the preceding 28 matches.
Rohl frequently emphasizes the phrase "step forward" in his interviews, and the team's statistics reflect notable progress, although the previous season's performance had set a low benchmark, coupled with some recent setbacks in European competition.
When Rohl took charge, Rangers were in sixth place, trailing leaders Hearts by 13 points. They have since moved up to fourth position, now 12 points behind Hearts, who have played two matches more.
This season's Scottish Premiership is proving to be competitive, with Hearts losing only once in 17 games, while Motherwell is enjoying a nine-match unbeaten run. Celtic currently leads Rangers by six points but is experiencing difficulties under new manager Wilfried Nancy.
A victory over Hibernian and Hearts in the upcoming matches could significantly bolster Rangers' title aspirations as they approach 2026. The match on Monday presents an opportunity for Rangers to climb into third place, but Rohl faces the challenge of maintaining momentum.
The stakes are equally high for Hibernian, as David Gray's side also aims for that coveted third position. Hibs previously triumphed in their last league visit to Ibrox, securing a 2-0 victory in April, although they had faced 11 consecutive losses in Govan prior to that match.
In the September Premier Sports Cup tie, Hibs were expected to perform well against a backdrop of protests against Martin, but they struggled to make an impact, with a VAR decision denying them a goal due to a handball by Martin Boyle.
In Rohl's second Premiership match at Easter Road, Rangers managed a narrow win, aided by a late penalty save from goalkeeper Jack Butland. Hibernian has yet to secure a victory against any teams currently above them in the league this season, and Gray is known for adopting a cautious approach in significant away fixtures.
Hibs held Celtic to a 0-0 draw at Celtic Park in late September, and a last-minute goal prevented them from achieving a similar result in a lackluster derby against Hearts shortly thereafter.
Gray stated, "We’ve already demonstrated against top teams that we can go toe-to-toe with them. It is so tight at the moment. If you can put back-to-back wins together, it can make a big difference." Injuries have left Rangers somewhat vulnerable defensively, prompting the possibility of a more aggressive strategy, particularly given the significance of the upcoming fixtures.
Team News
Rangers are expected to have Nasser Djiga available for the last time until next month, as he will be departing for the Africa Cup of Nations with Burkina Faso. Midfielder Mohamed Diomande returns from suspension, but Bojan Miovski is a doubt due to a leg injury sustained during Thursday's Europa League defeat to Ferencvaros. John Souttar, Derek Cornelius, Nedim Bajrami, and Oliver Antman remain sidelined.
Meanwhile, Hibs will be without centre-back Rocky Bushiri (DR Congo) but have received permission to field left-back Jordan Obita (Uganda) and midfielder Miguel Chaiwa (Zambia) prior to their departure for the Afcon tournament in Morocco.