Rangers vs Hibernian preview: Team news, h2h, tips as Fernandez eyes redemption after Europa slump

Rangers vs Hibernian Preview, Prediction and Betting Tips

Rangers welcome Hibernian to Ibrox on Sunday looking for the first win of the Derek McInnes era in the Scottish Premiership after an underwhelming opening week on multiple fronts.

The home side drew 1-1 with Dundee United in their league opener before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie, while Hibs lost 2-1 to Motherwell on the opening day but recovered to beat KF Shkendija 2-1 in the Conference League three days later.

McInnes, who was appointed in June after leaving Hearts, is under immediate pressure to deliver a performance at Ibrox, and a visit from David Gray’s Hibernian should represent a golden chance to get off the mark.

Rangers vs Hibernian: Form and Match Preview

Rangers finished third in the Scottish Premiership last season, 10 points behind Celtic and eight adrift of Hearts, which tells you how far the Ibrox club has drifted from where it expects to be.

The appointment of McInnes, the man who took last season’s title race to the final day with Hearts, was supposed to inject immediate purpose and identity.

Pre-season offered encouraging signs, with a 2-1 win over Saint-Etienne and a 0-0 draw against West Ham United, but the competitive action has not matched those positive signals.

Against Dundee United at Tannadice, Rangers needed to fight back from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw, with Thelo Aasgaard grabbing their only goal on the opening weekend.

Aasgaard was the standout performer that day, and the Norwegian midfielder already looks like a key creative outlet in McInnes’s system.

The midweek trip to Bialystok was more damaging, though, with the Polish side claiming a 2-1 victory that leaves Rangers with real work to do in the second leg at Ibrox next Thursday.

That fixture means squad management could play a role in team selection this weekend, and McInnes will need to balance the need for three league points against the looming European return.

Nigerian defender Emmanuel Fernandez was Rangers’ best player in the Dundee United draw, collecting an 8.16 FotMob rating in his first league match of the new campaign, making 10 clearances and controlling the aerial battle against Falkirk’s attackers.

The 24-year-old won Rangers’ Player of the Year award last season and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Season after scoring six goals from centre-back in 33 appearances, earning him a first call-up to the Super Eagles in March 2026.

Fernandez is one of several players linked with moves away from Ibrox this summer, with Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal all reportedly interested, but Rangers have held firm on a valuation of around £20 million and the defender has committed himself to the new campaign.

Although he had a disappointing outing against Jagiellonia Bialystok last time out, scoring an own goal, he remains the main man at the back for the former Premiership kings.

Hibernian, meanwhile, arrived at the 2026-27 season after a fifth-place finish that brought them Conference League qualification, though that was partly thanks to Celtic’s Scottish FA Cup triumph opening up the extra European spot.

David Gray’s side have had a hectic start to the term, playing four competitive matches already, winning two and losing two across the league and European competition.

The 2-0 first-leg defeat to Kosovar outfit Malisheva looked alarming, but Hibs responded emphatically with a 4-1 home win to progress on aggregate before beating Shkendija 2-1 in their next qualifying round first leg.

In the league, though, the Edinburgh club fell short at Fir Park, conceding an 85th-minute winner to Motherwell in a 2-1 defeat that left them bottom of the early table on zero points. Martin Boyle scored Hibs’ only goal.

The Australian veteran remains the most dangerous attacking outlet at Gray’s disposal, and his pace on the break could trouble Rangers if the hosts push forward aggressively.

A stunning solo effort from the star man ⭐️

🪄 Martin Boyle dances through the defence before rippling the back of the net with a terrific finish pic.twitter.com/hYBy2Bwp8g

— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) July 31, 2026

Head-to-Head: Rangers vs Hibernian

These two clubs met four times in the 2025-26 Premiership, and the results paint a picture of a fixture that became progressively more competitive as the season wore on.

Rangers won both early-season meetings by a single goal, taking a 1-0 victory at Easter Road in October and a 1-0 win at Ibrox in December.

Hibs then earned a 0-0 draw at Easter Road in February before pulling off a dramatic 2-1 win at Ibrox in May’s Championship Group phase, scoring a late winner that kept their European hopes alive.

Over a broader timescale, Rangers hold a commanding advantage in the all-time head-to-head record, with 52 wins from 84 meetings since 2003, according to AiScore.

Hibs will take confidence from that Ibrox win in May, but Rangers will point to the fact that they won two of the four league meetings last season and kept clean sheets in both of those victories.

Team News: Rangers vs Hibernian

Rangers

McInnes will be without midfielder Connor Barron (knee) and Jose Cifuentes (knee), both of whom are expected to miss several more weeks of action.

Ben Godfrey is a doubt after picking up an injury in the Dundee United match and could miss out, which would force McInnes to consider Ross McCrorie as a defensive option alongside Fernandez.

Following the Bialystok defeat, rotation is likely, with Nicolas Raskin and Findlay Curtis pushing for starting berths after the midweek disappointment.

Lawrence Shankland, signed from Hearts alongside Cameron Devlin in the summer, has yet to score for his new club and will be desperate to open his account at Ibrox.

Summer signing Bojan Miovski adds another forward option, though Shankland and Djeidi Gassama started together in the Dundee United draw.

Hibernian

Nicky Cadden (calf), Jamie McGrath (calf) and Rocky Bushiri (Achilles tendon) all remain sidelined for the visit to Glasgow.

McGrath’s absence is particularly significant, given his eight goals and four assists from midfield last season, while Bushiri’s injury leaves the centre of defence lighter.

Owen Elding has two goals and one assist in his last three games across all competitions and looks set to continue alongside Nathan Lowe and Martin Boyle in the front three.

Adam Mayor, a summer signing from Millwall, started in the Motherwell defeat and should retain his place on the left side of midfield.

Hibs played on Wednesday evening against Shkendija, meaning Gray will need to assess fatigue levels before naming his travelling squad.

Predicted Lineups: Rangers vs Hibernian

Rangers (4-3-3): Pandur; Sterling, McCrorie, Fernandez, Rommens; Devlin, Raskin, Aasgaard; Curtis, Shankland, Diomande.

Hibernian (3-4-3): Sallinger; O’Hora, Kerr, Obita; Passlack, Mulligan, Chaiwa, Mayor; Elding, Lowe, Boyle.

Star Players: Rangers vs Hibernian

Aasgaard was the best player on the pitch in the Dundee United draw, scoring Rangers’ equaliser and pulling the creative strings from an advanced midfield role.

Boyle remains Hibs’ talisman at 33, the Australian international providing directness and goal threat with his only league goal of the campaign so far, and his 7.56 rating was the best in a losing Hibs side against Motherwell.

The Managers: Rangers vs Hibernian

Derek McInnes took charge of over 800 matches before his appointment at Ibrox in June 2026, winning the PFA Scotland, SPFL and SFWA Manager of the Year awards for his work at Hearts last season.

The 55-year-old Glaswegian played for Rangers between 1995 and 2000, turned down the job in 2017 while managing Aberdeen, but accepted at the second time of asking after pushing Celtic all the way to the final day of the 2025-26 title race.

His assistants Alan Archibald and Paul Sheerin followed him from Tynecastle, alongside Craig Clark from his Kilmarnock days, giving him a familiar backroom structure.

Meanwhile David Gray has been permanently in charge at Easter Road since 2024. Before this stint, he had spells where he worked as an interim manager at Hibernian.

This season will be the former Hibs captain’s third full campaign, and he will be looking to build on his 5th-place finish from last season.

Tactical Preview: Rangers vs Hibernian

McInnes used a 4-3-3 formation for the Dundee United match, with Aasgaard given freedom to roam between the lines and Shankland leading the press from centre-forward.

The midfield trio of Devlin, Diomande and Aasgaard offered energy but lacked control at times, and the introduction of Raskin could add composure and passing range to that central area.

Rangers’ width comes from the full-backs, with Dujon Sterling overlapping on the right and Tuur Rommens offering a left-footed option at left-back, while Fernandez is expected to step into midfield with the ball from centre-back.

Gray’s 3-4-3 gives Hibs defensive solidity through the centre while relying on wing-backs Passlack and Mayor to provide width and overloads in transition.

Boyle tends to drift from the right channel into central pockets, creating space for Passlack to push high down the right flank.

The key tactical battle will likely unfold between Rangers’ full-backs and Hibs’ wing-backs, with whichever side wins that battle gaining control of the flanks and, by extension, the tempo of the match.

Rangers’ vulnerability to quick counter-attacks was exposed against Jagiellonia, and Boyle’s pace in behind could cause problems if the hosts commit too many bodies forward without adequate cover.

Rangers vs Hibernian: Betting Tips and Prediction

Final Score Prediction: Rangers vs Hibernian