Ibrox Tactics: What can Rangers expect in must-win top of the table clash v Hibernian?
Rangers won’t be in for an easy ride when they come up against Hibernian on Sunday lunchtime.
Jack Ross’ men have been one of the success stories of the early stages of the Scottish Premiership campaign, and sit just three points behind the Gers, third in the table.
So far, they have lost just one match, and that came in a tightly contested 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen last month.
But with the right preparation, Rangers can use that loss as a blueprint of how to exploit Hibs’ weaknesses this weekend.
For the most part, Ross’ side have been very impressive this term.
In fact, their shot accuracy has so far been 0.4% higher than the Gers’, and they’ve also made 5.13 more ball recoveries per game, as per Wyscout.
But there is one stat that is almost surprisingly low.
Hibernian have averaged 46.63% possession so far this season – considerably less than half per 90 minutes.
As a point of reference, Rangers’ average has been just shy of 60%.
Against Aberdeen, however, the Edinburgh club saw a rare, if marginal, lion’s share of the ball.
Hibs registered 50.22% possession in that game, and if we interrogate that stat a little further, it reveals some interesting details.
The reason that ended up much higher than usual was because Ross’ men piled on the pressure in the latter stages as they desperately scrambled for an equaliser.
But still, a breakthrough could not be found.
Hibs managed just seven shots on goal in that game, over three fewer than their average this term.
Of those, just three were on target, and their xG was a paltry 0.52.
That tally was 0.9 worse than the rest of their season.
So what can we take from this?
It’s difficult to imagine Rangers deliberately relinquishing possession against any side this term, especially when their average has been as high as the aforementioned 60% or so.
But there is some comfort to be taken from the fact that Hibs clearly struggle to break down sides who are intent on quelling their threat even when they have a majority of the ball.
Factor in a Gers defence that is on a run of seven consecutive league clean sheets at the beginning of this season, and you would have to say that if we can nab the first goal on Sunday, we should be in fairly secure position for all three points.
In other Rangers news, the Gers have a player-plus-cash deal on the cards, club ready to swap centre-mid & forward.