Official Site: MATCH PREVIEW | HIBERNIAN v RANGERS [Archive]

Hermit Crab

19-12-2018, 01:51 PM

After Sunday’s win over Celtic we take on Rangers at Easter Road Stadium tonight.

How have Rangers been doing?
Like most teams in a fiercely competitive, unpredictable Ladbrokes Premiership Rangers have had their ups and downs this term. But a new-look team under Steven Gerrard have gelled pretty quickly and they sit top of the table after Sunday’s fixtures. A run to the group stage of the Europa League was also embraced by the club’s support.

Previous Encounter
Where do you start? The final game of the season will go down as one of the most memorable in recent times, with both teams going toe to toe in a spectacular 5-5 draw. Hibernian came flying out of the traps and – needing six goals to overhaul Rangers in third place – found themselves three goals up inside 22 minutes. Flo Kamberi kicked things off from the penalty spot before Scott Allan and Jamie Maclaren also got in on the act. To their credit, Rangers rallied when it would have been so easy to throw in the towel. James Tavernier and Jordan Rossiter reduced the deficit before Bruno Alves levelled with a stunning free-kick. They turned the tide completely with a deflected Jason Holt double, with the former Hearts midfielder later sent packing for two yellow cards. Maclaren provided the late twist with a double of his own, sparking jubilant scenes around Easter Road.

Press Conference
Head Coach Neil Lennon and midfielder Emerson Hyndman spoke to the press on Friday ahead of the match. Hear their thoughts in full on Hibs TV.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO HIBS TV (https://hibstv.hibernianfc.co.uk/tv/dashboard)
Neil expressed his pride at the performance and result against Celtic and has asked for similar for the visit of the league leaders.
He said: “I know what the players are capable of and they hadn’t been showing that previously. It just shows you what a bit of confidence can do. The body language is better, the running ability is better, the close control, the will to win and he desire… all the things that we expect from them on a regular basis is back. Three points is the most important thing and we know if we can overcome Rangers we’ll be back in the top six. We’ll start to look a real threat in this division again, which is what we want. We’re not getting carried away with one performance. We have to build on that now.”
On-loan Bournemouth midfielder Emerson is just pleased to be back in the thick of it after a spell on the treatment table. He added: “All I wanted to do was come back and make a positive impact. Thankfully I’ve done that in the last couple of weeks and I just want that to continue.”

Injury News
Hibernian are still without the injured Charalampos Mavrias, David Gray, Marvin Bartley, Paul Hanlon and Thomas Agyepong. Mark Milligan and Martin Boyle are touch and go and Vykintas Slivka faces a late fitness test.
Key Players
Flo Kamberi was back to his barnstorming best against Celtic, capping an all-action performance with a sensational goal. Rangers have options in defence but have benefited from the introduction of experienced stopper Gareth McAuley in recent times.

Tickets
Tickets remain on sale to Hibernian supporters for the South Stand.
CLICK HERE TO BUY ONLINE (https://www.eticketing.co.uk/hibernianfc/Events/Index)
The Ticket Office will be open for sales until 6.45pm on Wednesday. There will be no matchday sales thereafter, and no Ticket Pods will be open. From 6.45pm the Ticket Office will deal with enquiries only.

South Stand
Hibs supporters in the South Stand should approach the stadium from behind the East Stand – keep walking past the East Stand to get to the South. Barriers will be in place preventing Hibs fans from entering from the other side and will remain in place post-match.
There will also be barriers in place on Albion Road and at the South gates of the West Stand post-match.

Hibs TV
Hibs TV will have live coverage of the action, with audio commentary for UK subscribers and video for international subscribers. Coverage starts at 7.30pm, and we’ll have all the post-match reaction as well as the full match replay and highlights from midnight.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE (https://hibstv.hibernianfc.co.uk/tv/dashboard)
Subscriptions start at £5.99 a month for UK subscribers and £11.99 for international fans.