Rangers vs Hibernian: Match preview
By Alexander Cruickshanks
Philippe Clement and Todd Cantwell spoke at Rangers Training Centre ahead of Hibernian’s visit to Ibrox this weekend
Top-flight domestic action is finally back in Scotland after a dismal international break for the Scottish national team. Now all the attention turns back to the title race and the fixtures coming in the following weeks. This is the home stretch and every game is a must-win for both Rangers and Celtic.
Rangers will play Hibernian at Ibrox tomorrow in their first game back and it’s all set up to be a thriller. Tensions are always high in this fixture but this season in particular the fiery nature has escalated each time. In the team's most recent meeting, Rangers triumphed by two goals to nil in a game where two Hibs players were sent off.
Hibs have struggled for consistency this season and Rangers have been plagued with injury. Philippe Clement confirmed that Dujon Sterling, Abdallah Sima, Ross McCausland and Kieran Dowell are all back in training and are in contention. A blow for Clement is the injury to Ridvan Yilmaz he suffered while on international duty with Turkey.
Clement stated: “It’s not going to be long term. We’re going to see next week. There’s a possibility he can be fit for then, but he’s still a doubt.”
Yilmaz has found new life under Clement and has boasted some of the best form in the league. Missing him for tomorrow is a huge blow and if he can’t make it back for next week it’s an even bigger hit with the Old Firm on the horizon.
The Turkish full-back has resurrected his Rangers career under Clement’s stewardship (Image: Getty Images)
As mentioned earlier, every game is important. Clement was questioned whether his mind was lingering to next week.
In response, the Rangers manager said: “Yes but it’s not because it’s Celtic. It’s always like that. Of course, I am focused on the next game and getting results but it’s also a longer-term plan.”
News also broke today that next season's away allocations are back in the Old Firm with 5% of the stadiums being allocated to away fans. Clement believes this is a good thing for the game.
He said: “I think everybody loves football with two sides of fans who sing against each other or sing towards each other. Nobody enjoyed the COVID period where there were no fans. That was really difficult.
“For me it was also really strange to play in Celtic Park without supporters. You want to hear them you want to feel them. It’s part of football it’s part of our lives”
In terms of Hibs and the challenge they pose Rangers tomorrow, Clement was full of praise for their attacking game and their desire.
[They are] a good footballing team, a team who always creates a lot of chances, score a lot of goals, the third most in the league, I think. They’re really hungry to beat us. I feel it every time we play against each other, the desire grows,” shares Clement. “We need to see a very good Rangers team and we need to feel a really good support from the fans to play a strong game.”
Hibs have plenty of firepower to cause Rangers problems (Image: Getty Images)
Hibs aren’t a team to be taken lightly; although inconsistent, they can cause problems with their attacking talents like Emiliano Marcondes and Myziane Maolida. A potent attacking side with a grudge against Rangers after their last encounter.
This game is a classic hurdle that could trip up a team in a title race. Every game is just as important as the other and Todd Cantwell echoes that sentiment.
He said: “We need to win every game we play now and we should expect they [Celtic] will try and do the exact same thing. And that should make for a good game next week.
“If we don’t concentrate on the task ahead of us tomorrow, then we will be absolutely furious with ourselves. Hibs are a good team, they play good football, they’ve got some good players, and we really need to respect that and play the game that we’ve got tomorrow.”
Full focus on tomorrow from Cantwell, and that’s definitely wise. One game at a time is an overused phrase in football, but it rings true. Ibrox should be rocking tomorrow, and we should expect nothing less than an exciting match.