Rangers vs Hibernian - Match preview and team news

Date: Sunday, 9th August.

Kick-off: 4pm BST.

Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow.

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Rangers team news

Rangers head into today's match with manager Derek McInnes expected to rotate his squad after a grueling mid-week 2-1 defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Europa League qualifiers.

The squad faces a notable blow in defence as Ben Godfrey is officially ruled out for three to four weeks after suffering a hamstring injury during that European clash.

In midfield, both Connor Barron and Jose Cifuentes remain completely unavailable as they continue to recover from ongoing knee issues.

On a positive note, newly signed South African centre-back Olwethu Makhanya, who recently arrived from Philadelphia Union, has been cleared to play and could make his highly anticipated debut at Ibrox.

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Keen to refresh his side, McInnes may hand starts to Nicolas Raskin, young midfielder Findlay Curtis, and star forward Lawrence Shankland, all of whom are pushing aggressively to return to the starting XI today.

Hibernian team news

Hibernian manager David Gray faces several selection headaches following his team's demanding mid-week Conference League victory against Shkendija.

The biggest concern is in central defence, where Rocky Bushiri has been ruled out due to a painful Achilles injury.

Further up the pitch, influential midfielders Nicky Cadden and Jamie McGrath are both listed as major doubts as they race against time to overcome persistent calf strains.

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Additionally, defender Jack Iredale remains highly unlikely to feature as he continues his rehabilitation after undergoing an appendix operation.

Despite these defensive setbacks, Gray boasts a fully fit and confident attacking line.

Highly rated young forward Owen Elding, who has impressively scored two goals in his last three appearances, is expected to lead the line once again alongside regular starters Nathan Lowe and talisman Martin Boyle as Hibs look to secure a result.

Form

Rangers

Rangers have endured a frustrating start to their campaign. They opened the Scottish Premiership season with a lackluster 1-1 draw away against Dundee United. Things grew more complicated mid-week in Europe, where they suffered a grueling 2-1 defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round. Winless in their opening fixtures, the Ibrox side is desperate to bounce back and secure their first domestic victory today.

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Hibernian

Hibernian have experienced a mixed bag of results lately. Their domestic campaign started on a low note with a disappointing 2-1 home loss to Motherwell. However, David Gray's men have found solace in Europe. They dramatically overturned a 2-0 deficit against Malisheva to win 4-1, followed by a solid 2-1 victory over Shkendija in their Conference League third-round qualifier on Thursday.

Predicted lineups

Rangers: Pandur; Sterling, McCrorie, Fernandez, Rommens; Devlin, Raskin; Curtis, Aasgaard, Diomande; Shankland

Hibernian: Sallinger; O'Hora, Kerr, Obita; Passlack, Mulligan, Chaiwa, Mayor; Elding, Lowe, Boyle

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How to watch Rangers vs Hibernian?

The Rangers vs Hibernian Scottish Premiership match will be broadcast live in the UK on Premier Sports 1.

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