Rangers will look to narrow the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to six points when they take on Hibernian at Ibrox on Thursday evening.

Both sides have been out of competitive action since last month, though have recently been involved in friendly action to help maintain match sharpness.

Match preview

Rangers endured a poor first portion of the 2022-23 campaign and will be looking for new boss Michael Beale to breathe some new life into the side in the coming months.

Before the World Cup break, Rangers had won just two matches in seven attempts across all competitions, with dropped points in the league and some heavy defeats in Europe, leaving them second in the Scottish Premiership while being nine points behind rivals Celtic.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was subsequently relieved of his duties in the aftermath, leading to the appointment of Beale from Queens Park Rangers late last month.

In a friendly against Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, Beale managed to get off to a successful start courtesy of a double from Malik Tillman and a strike from Scott Arfield.

Nevertheless, the real action starts on Thursday for Rangers, where a win could temporarily shorten the margin between themselves and Celtic, who play on Saturday away to Aberdeen.

Hibernian have been in rather inconsistent league form this season, finding themselves in eighth position under Lee Johnson as they gear up for a trip to Glasgow.

Despite starting the campaign positively, the Hibees have won just one of their last five matches in the league and need to start picking up results to stay in the hunt for continental qualification.

During the break, they have also been rocked by the news that star player Ryan Porteous will not be signing a new deal at Easter Road, which could tempt Hibernian to sell him in January rather than lose him for free in the summer.

Stepping up their preparation for the return of the Scottish Premiership, Hibernian have been involved in friendlies against Middlesbrough and Raith Rovers, allowing Johnson to assess the fitness of his squad.

If Hibernian secure three points on Thursday, they could move as high as fourth in the league table due to their divisional rivals not being in action until the weekend.

Team News

Fashion Sakala could return for Rangers against Hibernian, following his return from injury in the friendly win over Bayer Leverkusen last weekend.

Ianis Hagi and Tom Lawrence are expected to be sidelined for the match, despite hope that they could return to the fold upon the conclusion of the break for the World Cup.

John Souttar, Connor Goldson and Filip Helander are still all unavailable to play in central defence, while Ridvan Yilmaz may not make the cut which could pave the way for Adam Devine to start on Thursday.

Hibernian will be able to welcome back Aiden McGeady to the squad on Thursday, as he made his comeback against Raith Rovers in their friendly last week.

Martin Boyle is out for the rest of the season with knee problems and will not be able to play any part on Thursday at Ibrox.

Mykola Kukharevych is also not available for the visitors, which could give the returning Kevin Nisbet an opportunity to lead the line as he has recovered from a long-term injury.

Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Sands, King, Devine; Lundstram, Kamara; Sakala, Tillman, Kent; Colak

Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Bushiri, Porteous, Hanlon; Cadden, Newell, Kenneh, Magennis, Cabraja; Nisbet, Melkersen

We say: Rangers 2-1 Hibernian

In a match with significant permutations, we expect a tight affair that will more than likely be settled by fine margins as both teams seek to claim an important result.

On this occasion, Rangers will do enough to secure the three points and move to within six points of leaders Celtic, who play on Saturday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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