Could Hibs catch Rangers out? Five key questions ahead of Ibrox visit

Hibs did the double over Rangers at Ibrox in season 2017-18, with Vykintas Slivka - seen celebrating his winner in Govan - one of four different scorers for the Easter Road side. | SNS Group

A good time to play Rangers? At Ibrox? Hold the cliches, punchlines and eye rolls, please. And at least consider the possibility, however remote, that Hibs might just capitalise on a few fault lines in the home ranks on Sunday.

With boardroom infighting, a glaring gap in executive leadership, an almost equally obvious lack of depth in the squad, on-field inconsistencies, supporter dissatisfaction AND a potential fatigue factor linked to European obligations all to be considered, Rangers aren’t likely to be in peak condition for this one. But will that matter when they welcome David Gray’s men, looking to build on the tiny bit of momentum gained with a first league win of the season, for a high noon kick-off?

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As Hibs fans can testify, even the most optimistically anticipated road trips to Govan tend to end with away fans – presuming there are any way fans, of course – feeling frustrated and infuriated. The exploits of season 2017-18, when Hibs won BOTH of their league games at Ibrox, seem like a lifetime ago.

John McGinn opens the scoring for Hibs in their 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox in 2018. | SNS Group

Hibs haven’t beaten Rangers on their own patch since the second of those victories, a 2-1 triumph in February of 2018. And to be honest, they’ve found it hard to live with the Light Blues at any venue over the past couple of seasons; hardly a surprise, given the Easter Road outfit’s troubles.

In the last 10 meetings between the clubs, Rangers have won nine and drawn one. Any talk of turmoil or tensions in the home ranks, then, must always be tempered by realism.

Still, it’s worth putting these particular opponents in focus. And concentrating on a few key questions surrounding not just this game, but the state of the opposition in general.

Which Rangers will turn up?

Inconsistency has been a particular bugbear for Philippe Clement’s team, whose league results don’t accurately reflect the variable standards of performance to date. As good as they were in their Premier Sports Cup win over Dundee at the weekend, Rangers have a recurrent tendency to drop off for spells in games.

Nobody expects Hibs to go to Ibrox and dominate the hosts. But every team in Scotland will be looking to exploit some of the flaws laid bare by Celtic’s mauling of Rangers just a few short weeks ago.

Can the crowd be turned?

This is not entirely unrelated to that humiliating 3-0 loss at Celtic Park. The scars from that one run deep in a support base quick to anger – and even quicker to share their frustrations with players.

Even if Hibs fans aren’t allowed in, with a decision on tickets still pending at the time of publication, there is the potential for Gray’s men to push some buttons among home supporters simply by staying in the game. The opening half hour may set the mood, one way or the other, for the whole day.

Who’s in charge?

Rangers are led by an interim chairman, John Gilligan, who has just publicly pleaded with former chairman Dave King to stay shtum and stop stirring the pot with talk of some grand recovery plan, the current incumbent declaring: “Dave, please take it below the radar. Really behave like a proper shareholder.”

The club are also still without a CEO after St Mirren chief executive Jim Gillespie removed himself from the running to replace James Bisgrove. The position has been lying vacant since Bisgrove’s departure in June.

No chairman or chief executive ever scored a goal. But any leadership vacuum has an effect on a club. Not least in aggravating the mood among supporters.

How can Hibs hurt their hosts?

It’s all about the counter-attack. Pressing in the right areas, winning the ball – and then using it quickly.

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With Martin Boyle missing after undergoing hand surgery, Hibs will be without their most obvious threat in this area. Assuming Elie Youan (pictured above) has regained some sharpness after looking off the pace last time out, his first outing since July, he could be the key player for Gray.

Will Europe be a factor?

This comes back to those concerns, among Rangers fans, about squad depth. Once you get past Clement’s strongest XI, there is a bit of a drop-off in quality/competitiveness.

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They play Malmo on Thursday night, although it’s a 17:45 kick-off in Sweden; with a bit of fast work after the game, the players could be tucked up in their beds at a reasonable hour. But a tough game might take it out of key performers, leading Clement to shuffle his pack.

Rangers did romp to a ‘home’ win over St Johnstone after their most recent Euro tie, a painful Champions League defeat to Dynamo Kyiv last month. But that Premier Sports Cup tie was a relatively civilised Saturday evening encounter – a 5.45 pm KO at the national stadium - following a Tuesday night game in Glasgow. Sunday should be a lot tougher on the body and mind of any players asked to do back-to-back shifts.

All of the above, of course, counts for nothing if Hibs don’t turn up, front up and raise up their performance levels. They can’t make it easy for Rangers. Or they’ll pay the usual price.