Preview: Hibernian vs Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

Hibernian and Rangers, each looking to bounce back from defeats, will come together at the Easter Road Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The hosts are fifth in the standings with 35 points from 23 games, while the visitors are second in the table with 47 points from 23 fixtures.

Match preview

Hibernian experienced a difficult start to the 2025-26 season, failing to qualify for both the Europa League and Conference League, suffering elimination from the Scottish League Cup and winning just one of their first seven Scottish Premiership fixtures, alongside five draws and one defeat.

David Gray's side finally picked up a much-needed win on matchday eight, defeating Livingston 4-0, and that marked the beginning of a significantly stronger run of results for Hibs, having now recorded eight wins, three draws and just five defeats in their last 16 fixtures.

As a result, Hibernian have climbed to fifth in the Scottish Premiership with 35 points from 23 games, holding a confident seven point lead over seventh-placed Aberdeen and trailing fourth-placed Motherwell by only five points.

Off the back of a crushing 4-1 loss to Falkirk, who now trail Hibs by just two points, Gray will be eager to see his side get back to winning ways and avoid another disappointing run of results.

However, Hibernian will face a tough test on Sunday afternoon, welcoming a rejuvenated Rangers to the Easter Road Stadium.

The Gers endured a disastrous start to the 2025-26 campaign, which saw a Russell Martin-led Rangers win just one of their opening eight league games, as well as fail to qualify for the Champions League with a humiliating 9-1 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge in the playoff qualifying round.

Martin was eventually dismissed in October, with Danny Rohl taking charge later in the month, and following a difficult start at Ibrox, the German manager has appeared to turn things around in recent weeks.

Rohl fell to a 3-0 defeat against SK Brann in his opening game at the helm, followed by two wins and two defeats in his next four fixtures across all competitions.

Rangers have been significantly improved since that challenging start, however, with the Gers now having lost just three of their last 18 matches, alongside 12 wins and three draws.

Rohl's men have been particularly impressive in the Scottish Premiership, with the German boss losing just one of his nine league fixtures, with eight wins in that time, including a superb six-game winning streak.

Consequently, Rangers have rapidly climbed to second in the Scottish Premiership standings with 47 points from 23 fixtures, meaning they are two points ahead of Old Firm rivals Celtic and only four points behind league leaders Hearts.

Aiming to extend their winning run in the league and continue applying pressure on the Jambos, Rohl will be looking for his side to pick up their seventh straight Scottish Premiership triumph on Sunday.

The Gers will be able to draw confidence from their recent run, while they also boast an impressive recent record in this fixture, remaining unbeaten in their last 16 away games against Hibernian, including nine triumphs.

Hibernian Scottish Premiership form:

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Hibernian form (all competitions):

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Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

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Rangers form (all competitions):

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Team News

Hibernian are going to be without Josh Campbell and Josh Mulligan for this match due to ongoing injury problems, while Kieron Bowie is also unavailable due to being on the verge of signing for Serie A side Hellas Verona.

Off the back of a miserable 4-1 defeat to Falkirk, Gray could look to make several changes to his team here, meaning the likes of Dylan Levitt and Rudi Allan Molotnikov could start, while Thody Elie Youan should also come into the first 11 given Bowie's absence.

Meanwhile, Rangers are unable to call upon Bailey Rice, Connor Barron, Derek Cornelius and Dujon Sterling due to injury problems.

Following the 3-1 loss to Porto in midweek, Rohl could revert to the starting side that featured in last weekend's 3-0 win against Dundee.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:

Sallinger; Kiranga, Hanley, Iredale; Molotnikov, Chaiwa, Levitt, Obita; McGrath; Boyle, Youan

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Butland; Tavernier, Djiga, Fernandez, Meghoma; Raskin, Chukwuani; Skov Olsen, Aasgaard, Moore; Miovski

We say: Hibernian 1-2 Rangers

Rangers have been fantastic in the league under Rohl's management, and with an impressive recent record in this fixture, as well as Hibernian's confidence dented by last weekend's defeat, we are backing the Gers to win this one.

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