Hibs vs Rangers Prediction: Expect Goals in the Capital

Scottish Premiership action returns on Wednesday, and Hibs host Rangers. Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse predicts goals at Easter Road…

The Scottish Premiership makes a welcome return to our screens in midweek following the winter break and weekend Scottish Cup fixtures. Rangers travel to Edinburgh, where they face Hibs in one of their two games in hand over league leaders Celtic. Victory on the road would move Gers to within five points of Brendan Rodgers’ men, turning up the heat.

Hibs are out for revenge following a painful 4-0 loss suffered at Ibrox earlier this season. Nick Montgomery’s side start the week in sixth place and are without a win in three. The hosts must improve their form if they are to secure a top-six finish this season, and fans would love nothing more than to hurt the title ambitions of the visitors. Can the Hibees win and delight their followers?

Team news:

Hibs enter this game on a dreadful run of form, winning just one of their last five Premiership starts. That drought includes three defeats, a draw, and one win achieved over bottom club Livingston last month.

Since beating the Lions, Hibs have collected one point from a possible nine, following 1-0 defeats to St Johnstone and Hearts with a 2-2 finish at this venue against lowly Motherwell earlier this month. The locals did beat Forfar 1-0 in the Scottish Cup at the weekend, scoring late in the game to see off the League Two minnows.

Rangers last road trip in the league resulted in a 2-1 defeat at Celtic Park in the Old Firm Derby. That was the team’s first loss under manager Philippe Clement and helped the Bhoys reopen a sizeable gap at the top of the division. Since that derby day defeat, Gers have beaten Kilmarnock 3-1 at Ibrox and Dumbarton 4-1 on the road in the Scottish Cup. Wednesday is a fantastic opportunity for a third win on the spin that would eat into Celtic’s lead at the top of the Premiership.

Hibs vs Rangers Odds:

Betfred members can wager on the result of this fixture with over 100 pre-game and in-play betting markets available, including match-winner, both teams to score, handicap, and first goalscorer.

Study the form, find a bet that suits and gamble using your mobile or laptop. There are some great odds available, and that will help make things more interesting in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Hibs hold the home advantage, but their recent league form has been poor, and that’s reflected in their price. Traders don’t hold much hope for the locals and offer Hibs at a chunky 7/1 to win this game. That’s bigger than expected and is sure to attract attention. The draw is 7/2, with a Rangers win yours at 4/11.

Both teams to score @ Evens

I expect a tense and nervous 90 minutes in the capital, but both teams have weaknesses in their defence. Hibs has leaked 29 goals in 20 league games which is more than relegation-threatened St Johnstone and equal to second-from-bottom Ross County. Rangers conceded two against Celtic and one goal to Kilmarnock and Dumbarton, with the latter particularly disappointing for Clement.

Looking through the stats associated with this game, we see both teams scored at least one goal in four of their last five meetings. That run includes a 3-1 Rangers win when Gers were last at this venue, and we’re backing both teams to score again at evens. The stats make that good enough to back as a single or add to your midweek multiples.

Tavernier anytime scorer @ 2/1

With a tight game expected at Easter Road, Rangers will need James Tavernier at his best. How often have we seen the club captain deliver when the team needs him most? I fancy Tav to stand and deliver again and will back him to score at any time during Wednesday’s match at decent odds.

Interestingly, Tavernier scored the opener when Rangers last visited Hibs, and he’s also netted in two of his team’s last three games. James is on penalty duty and slotted home from the spot to help sink Dumbarton on Saturday evening after scoring a sublime free-kick against Celtic in the Old Firm.

Frank Monkhouse covers Scottish Football for us here at Betfred Insights. You can check out all of his work along with that of the rest of our Football Betting Tips desk on our main Football page...