Rangers take on Hibernian knowing that three points is guaranteed to take Philippe Clement’s men back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table, in any title race, any possible advantage has to be taken.
The Gers boss will be wanting to apply some pressure on Celtic, who play tomorrow, as he gets set to welcome several players back into his squad ahead of the game at Ibrox.
After revealing in the press conference that he has more players available to him, this is who the manager has picked for Rangers to face Hibernian as he looks to avoid a third straight defeat at home.
Rangers v Hibernian – Confirmed team news
Jack Butland didn’t let the disappointment of not making the England squad affect him against Benfica before the break and it is unlikely to be a source of distraction now as he looks to maintain the form that caught the eye of Gareth Southgate in the first place.
The defence was consistent before the break and it would be a surprise to see Clement make too many changes now.
Ridvan Yilmaz had secured the left-back position but an injury on international duty means that Borna Barisic has an early chance to make amends for his shambolic display against Kilmarnock.
John Souttar didn’t have a great time away with Scotland, if anything, he would have been better staying at Auchenhowie and getting a breather but he is clearly the manager’s preferred partner for Connor Goldson.
In midfield, Mohamed Diomande should be refreshed from not having to travel to Ghana, or the Ivory Coast for that matter, after joining up halfway through his pre-season, we should start to see what he is really capable of now.
Philippe Clement is almost spoilt for choice at number ten now with both Tom Lawrence and Todd Cantwell fit and available for selection, being able to rotate the pair of them should see Rangers benefit from having their two best playmakers at their best.
Abdallah Sima is fit but hasn’t played since the 2nd of January, with the Old Firm derby next week, getting him 20-30 minutes could be vital.
Fabio Silva, Rabbi Matondo and Dujon Sterling are all available too which means that we finally have some options on the wings rather than having to pick whoever isn’t carrying an injury.
It’s the same up front, Cyriel Dessers has been picked almost by default at times this season and with Kemar Roofe missing from the squad again, despite featuring in training, it looks like he is there to stay.
Rangers team news
This is how Rangers line-up against Hibernian:
Three points is all that matters but a good performance and a strong statement could put doubt in Celtic’s mind ahead of their trip to Livingston.
As Clement always says, one game at a time and concentrate on us, the rest wil take care of itself.
