What Hibs need to do to get a result against Rangers

How can the Easter Road side give themselves the best chance of a positive result?
Hibs have a 100% record on the road so far this season - it's time they started replicating away form at Easter RoadHibs have a 100% record on the road so far this season - it's time they started replicating away form at Easter Road
Hibs have a 100% record on the road so far this season - it's time they started replicating away form at Easter Road

Pick a winning formation

Hibs head coach Jack Ross has opted for a 4-4-2 formation in his side's two biggest wins so far this season - the 4-1 win at Livingston and 3-0 victory against St Mirren.

But that same formation has also caused the Capital club problems. Dundee United packed their midfield at Tannadice and Hibs were overrun in the middle. Motherwell's trio of David Turnbull, Allan Campbell, and Mark O'Hara arguably came out on top in the goalless draw at Easter Road last month.

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Ross has spoken at length about training his side to play with a back three as well as a back four. Going with three at the back and adding an extra body in midfield against Rangers could be key to limiting the visitors' chances of controlling the game.

A back three would also lift some of the pressure on Josh Doig. With Hanlon behind him as a second line of defence - literally - the youngster will be under less pressure defensively and will be able to focus on getting forward.

Alternatively, Ross could look to match Rangers’ likely formation by going 4-2-3-1 as well, with an extra man partnering Alex Gogic front of the defence and options on the bench to change things up if necessary.

Win the midfield battle

It sounds simple but it is imperative that Hibs are strong in the middle of the park on Sunday.

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While the Easter Road side have taken care of sides like Livingston and St Mirren, there have been warning signs against teams such as Aberdeen, Motherwell, and Dundee United.

The absence of Ryan Jack will likely see Glen Kamara reintroduced to the starting line-up to partner Steven Davis in the holding roles, assuming Rangers line up in the 4-2-3-1 formation Steven Gerrard has opted for in recent matches.

Whether Ross sets his team up to mirror the opposition or contain them, he is going to need some big performances from the likes of Alex Gogic and Joe Newell in the engine room to stifle Rangers' creativity.

The Hibs head coach has made no secret of wanting to bolster his options in midfield and with Stephen McGinn signing on and a flurry of outgoing movement in the past few days, Sunday wouldn’t be a bad time for the current crop of midfielders to stake their claim for a regular slot and show a bit more mettle.

Be positive

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Simply put, Hibs need to go into this match believing they can get a result.

There was a period of time that started during Alan Stubbs' tenure and carried on through to Neil Lennon's time in charge where Hibs looked capable of getting a result every time they faced the Ibrox side, whether at Ibrox, Easter Road, or a neutral venue.

While that might no longer be the case, there is no reason why they can't aspire to that once more.

Managers sometimes talk about teams showing too much respect to tough opponents and Hibs have perhaps been guilty of that in recent seasons at times.

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The task at hand may look daunting – Rangers have enjoyed a very impressive start to the season. Seven consecutive clean sheets shows the strength of their defence and 15 goals indicates that they're not doing too shabbily on the attacking front either.

Hibs need to go into Sunday’s showdown believing that they are capable of stopping Rangers' unbeaten run, and bringing their run of clean sheets to an end.

Replicate away form on home soil

It's worth noting that of Rangers' away games this season they have drawn one (against Livingston), narrowly beaten Aberdeen by a single goal, and made hard work of defeating Hamilton.

Back-to-back 3- wins against St Mirren and St Johnstone, and the 4-0 triumph against Dundee United all came on home turf.

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In comparison, Hibs have a 100 per cent away record so far this season but have lost one and drawn one of their three home fixtures.

If Hibs are to get a positive result from Sunday's meeting then they need to replicate their away form at Easter Road and hope that the visitors may be somewhat jaded after their midweek Europa League match and struggle to click into gear as well as they have done at Ibrox.

Opposition managers regularly refer to Easter Road as being a difficult place to go. While Hibs can’t count on a large and vocal home support creating an atmosphere for the players, if they can start playing the same way at home as they do on the road then opposition teams will begin to struggle once again.

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