RANGERS will be looking to bounce back from their Europa League disappointment in Prague on Thursday night when they host in-form Hibernian on Sunday.
The table-topping clash is the game of the weekend in Scotland and will be one the Light Blues can’t take lightly.
Jack Ross’ men have started the season in decent form, taking 15 points from their opening seven games and remain unbeaten.
Whether they can realistically maintain this level of form remains to be seen but they will certainly be dangerous opponents.
In their last Premiership outing, they defeated St Johnstone by a goal to nil at Easter Road courtesy of a Martin Boyle penalty.
They outperformed the Saints with an xG of 1.53 compared to the visitors 0.21. Their overall xG sits at 1.28 which is just slightly bettered by Rangers’ 1.36.
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They are the second-highest scorers in the division with 13, one more than Rangers have mustered with Boyle the main contributor and top scorer in the league with six goals to his name - albeit four of those have come from the penalty spot.
As the heat map above shows, he’s often deployed down the right-hand flank and that's where most of Hibs' activity is focused so Borna Barisic or Calvin Bassey will have to be wary of his attacking intent.
They tend to play on the counter and will likely do so at Ibrox given Rangers will have a lot of the ball. It’ll therefore be vital for Steven Gerrard’s men not to give away possession cheaply as the Leith side have pace in abundance.
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Interestingly, Hibs' other main attacking threat is that of Kevin Nisbet but he’s only netted once this campaign in his five appearances so far.
That being said, the Scotland international is a player you can't take lightly. Rangers wwere linked with the Scotland international in the summer and having netted 18 goals in all competitions last term he will be confident of finding the back of the net against what has looked a ropey looking defence at times.
In the last meeting between the sides back in April, Rangers ran out 2-1 winners at Ibrox with Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent netting before a Nisbet consolation but the game was a close-fought encounter.
In terms of defending, Hibs give away almost a goal a game with an xG of 0.83 so Rangers will fancy their chances of scoring, that being said the Ibrox side aren’t too much better giving away an xG of 0.80 so, again, it could well be a game determined by who can take their opportunities when they come their way.
Veteran sports writer and Hibs supporter Simon Pia reckons stopping Boyle is pivotal if Rangers are to emerge with all three points.
He said: “Martin Boyle is the key to Hibs this season, he’s got six goals already. If anything his form is better than last season, his shooting has got more accurate, his confidence has improved a lot. When he used to be through one-on-one you thought he’d blow it but that’s changed now and he’s a confident penalty taker so there’s been a big change in him, he’s really grown as a player.
“If Rangers close down Boyle, Hibs don’t look that much of a threat.
“The defence has tightened up. Porteous and Hanlon are working better together and Kyle Magennis is beginning to look at home, you were wondering last season why did Ross get him but he’s scored two goals from 13 shots so he’s pretty accurate."
Despite their unbeaten start to the season, Pia reckons they'll struggle to keep up the pace.
“To be honest I think Hibs will slip back, I think their position is slightly flattering them at the moment.
“There’s a bit of a question mark about Jack Ross on the big games. Neil Lennon was a pretty chaotic manager when he was at Hibs but he could lift the players for the big games. Ross, in contrast, is more of a steady eddy but personally, I’d like to see him lift the team more and give them a bit more drive. He’s very much a textbook manager and you need that other extra edge in management to lift players.
“I think Rangers will still comfortably win the league, I know they have been a little bit flat but Hibs haven’t had a lot of pressure this season with a team really having a go at them so that’ll be interesting to see and it’ll be a test for the defence on Sunday."
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