Rangers vs Hibs Prediction: Visitors will punish a ropey Gers defence

Welcome to April and round 32 of the Scottish Premiership season. With just six rounds remaining on the programme, Celtic are miles clear in pole position, with Rangers safely in second, ahead of an interesting three-way fight for third place. At the opposite end of the table, battling lines are drawn in a fierce relegation shootout.

Rangers welcome Hibs to Ibrox for a 15:00 GMT kick-off at Ibrox. The home team have won their last two games under interim manager Barry Ferguson, out-scoring Celtic and Dundee on the road. To secure the treble, Fergie’s Gers must better a confident Hibs on a long winning run and determined to bank the bronze medal. Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse gives us his Rangers vs Hibs Predictions in his full match preview here on Betfred Insights...

It’s a strange period to follow Glasgow Rangers. The 55-time Scottish champions are well out of the title race, left choking in Celtic’s dust. They lost on penalties in the League Cup final late last year and suffered a shock home defeat to Queens Park in the Scottish Cup.

Despite their troubles, Rangers are fighting hard in the latter stages of the UEFA Europa League and prepare for a double-header against Spanish La Liga side Athletic Club. They’re approaching the business end of a multi-million-pound takeover and are playing exciting football under their stand-in manager and former captain Ferguson, scoring 11 goals in all competitions last month.

Hibs were stuck hard to the bottom of the Premiership back in autumn and looked every inch like a Championship club in waiting. The team from Easter Road have previously played in the second tier, but their relegation would be a huge loss to the Scottish top division.

Thankfully for followers of the Hibees, manager David Gray was able to turn things around. Hibs are now third in the Premiership following an impressive unbeaten run. They travel to Ibrox boasting four wins and a draw in their last five games, and the travelling support believe this test comes at the best possible time for their team.

Rangers vs Hibs Odds

Despite their less-than-impressive form this season and the fact that they’re operating without a long-term manager, Rangers are favourites to win at Ibrox. Betfred traders have the light blues as the most likely winners of the points in Glasgow.

Will the locals live up to expectations and secure all three points? It’s worth remembering that Ferguson lost to Motherwell and Fenerbahce in his two games at Ibrox. The home win is priced at 4/9 and will likely feature in many weekend accumulators.

Hibs arrive full of confidence, and it would be no surprise to see them follow Motherwell’s lead and leave with an upset win. They beat St Johnstone 3-0 in Edinburgh last weekend and scored a stunning 2-1 victory over Hearts in last month’s gripping derby.

Gray’s men are playing free-flowing, ambitious and exciting football. They have the wind in their sails and know all the pressure will be on the shoulders of the Gers players. Fancy Hibs to claim a 13th win and close the gap on Rangers to 15 points? You can bet on Hibs at 6/1 or try the draw at 4/1.

Both score and Rangers win

Looking at the home team’s stats for March, Rangers' tally of 11 goals scored in five games is impressive, but the men from Govan conceded ten in the same period, including five goals in their previous two. The Gers raced into a 2-0 lead against Celtic before the champions clawed it back to 2-2. Hamza Igamane volleyed home a sensational winner. Gers then went 3-1 down at Dens Park last weekend but bounced back to win 4-3.

Switching to the recent efforts of the visiting team, Hibs celebrated six goals last month, leaking four. Let’s now focus on the head-to-head results. In two previous meetings this term, Rangers and Hibs scored a combined seven goals, with a 3-3 draw at Easter Road following a 1-0 win for Rangers here in the summer. Back Rangers to win at home and both teams to score at strong odds.

Cerny to score first

Having covered our main bet, we now turn our attention to a second pick, and it’s one for lovers of a bet at higher odds. We’re picking Vaclav Cerny to open the scoring at Dens Park and continue to prove he’s just too good for Scottish football. The attacker has been the standout performer for Rangers this season during his loan from Wolfsburg.

The Czech Republic cap was instrumental in the win over Celtic. He also scored two goals away to Fenerbahce, and he has a great record against Saturday’s opponents. Cerny has scored in each of the last two meetings of these teams, including in a 1-0 win at Ibrox just before Christmas. Cerny has been away on international duty this week, but he’ll start and can continue his devastating form.

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...