Hibernian v Rangers Betting Tip Rangers – 8 March 2019

Rangers can get much needed three points

Scottish Premiership Betting Tips

ScotlandHibernian v RangersScotland
Friday 8th March 1945hrs 
Football – Scotland – Premiership
Pick Rangers
Bookmaker Unibet
Odds: 5/7 (odds taken 22.20 GMT, Wednesday 6th March)

Neither of these teams got the results they would have hoped for in last week’s Scottish Cup, but it’s a return to league action for Hibs and Rangers and both are on the hunt for points in their quest to climb the table.

Scottish Premiership Betting at Unibet

Hibernian Preview

Paul Heckingbottom suffered his first defeat at Hibs boss when his team lost to Celtic last weekend – who are managed by Neil Lennon, whom he replaced at Easter Road. The 2-0 defeated ended Hibs’ hopes of winning the Scottish Cup and means they will now focus solely on finishing as high in the league as possible. That starts with an attempt to finish in the top six, a position that they currently hold with a three-point lead over St Johnstone in seventh. Friday represents a big game for them, however, as it always is against one of the big Glasgow clubs. Playing in the first match of the weekend also means that they have a chance to extend their lead over the chasing pack, and therefore increasing the pressure on them. Equally, any dropped points and it’s an incentive for those chasing to make up ground. With five games to go before the split, the margin for error is pretty small, however with rivals Hearts still to play before then, Heckingbottom and the club’s supporters will also be looking above them in the hope they can narrow the three points between themselves and the Jambos. It may not mean much in the grand scheme of things but the rivalry is such that whoever can gain the bragging rights of finishing higher in the table will be able to enjoy their summer that bit more.

 

Key-Facts – Hibernian v Rangers

  • Hibernian lost their first game under new manager Paul Heckinbottom last week and will be looking to bounce back
  • A win for Rangers would see the gap at the top reduced to five points with Celtic playing on Saturday
  • Hibs have won just one of their last five home leagues games and Rangers have been victorious in four of their last five on the road

 

Rangers Preview

Rangers would have preferred not to add another game on to what has already been an extremely long season for them, but Steven Gerrard’s men will just be pleased to have another opportunity to make the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup. The Ibrox club were not at their best last week away to Aberdeen and perhaps fortunate to earn a replay but they will be confident of making home advantage count, with the reward a clash with holders Celtic in the last four. All that is ahead of them, but the pressing issue is trying to cut the gap at the top between themselves and their arch rivals to five points when they travel to Edinburgh on Friday. The leaders will play a day later and if Rangers are to have any chance of winning the league then three points is an absolute must against Hibs. The Blues have been in good form in the league of late with the once exception those dropped points at home to St Johnstone. Other than that, they have been scoring freely in the league and keeping clean sheets so the manager will be hoping for another positive display.

Hibernian v Rangers Betting Advice

There has been nothing to separate Hibs and Rangers in both their meetings so far this season. The two sides clashed twice in the space of a couple of weeks back in December with the first game ending in a goalless draw before Hibs snatched a point with a late equaliser on Boxing Day. There’s been a big change at Easter Road since then, of course, with Heckingbottom replacing Neil Lennon as manager and he failed his first big test last Saturday against Celtic and will have to get a better performance from his players on Friday otherwise there will already be doubts about his tenure.

Hibs had been on a good run up until that cup defeat to Celtic but the performance was so below bar that you feel this game coming so soon on the back of it, presents Rangers with a perfect opportunity to cut the gap to five points at the top of the league. Gerrard’s men have won four their last five league games, scoring 15 in the process. It might not be pretty or a game that contains a lot of goals, but I expect the visitors to emerge with three points.