Rangers vs Hibernian Prediction: Rangers to kickstart the league resumption with a win

When Rangers take on Hibernian at Ibrox on Thursday evening, they will aim to close the margin at the top of the Scottish Premiership to six points so they can take over first place. Since the beginning of the previous month, neither team has been participating in any competitive activity; however, they have recently participated in some friendly competition to keep their match sharpness.

After a disappointing start to the 2022-23 season, Rangers are hoping that their new manager, Michael Beale, can revitalize the club in the coming months. Before the World Cup break, Rangers were second in the Scottish Premiership, nine points behind rivals Celtic, and had won only two of seven matches in all competitions. Beale, formerly of Queens Park Rangers, was hired away at the end of last month after Giovanni van Bronckhorst was stripped of his duties. Beale got off to a winning start last weekend in a friendly match against Bayer Leverkusen, with goals from Malik Tillman (2) and Scott Arfield (1). Rangers, though, will get into the thick of things on Thursday when they take on Aberdeen in a game that might potentially cut into Celtic's lead.

Hibernian, led by manager Lee Johnson, are now seventh in the league and preparing for a road match against Glasgow. With a promising start to the season behind them, the Hibees have won only one of their previous five league matches and must begin winning more often if they are to maintain their hopes of qualifying for the continental tournament. Hibernian may be tempted to trade star player Ryan Porteous in January rather than risk losing him for free next summer after hearing the news that he will not be signing a new contract at Easter Road during the break. Hibernian have played friendly matches against Middlesbrough and Raith Rovers to prepare for the Scottish Premiership's return and for Johnson to evaluate his team's health. With their divisional rivals not playing again until the weekend, a win for Hibernian on Thursday would put them in a solid position to jump as high as fourth in the league rankings.

In a game with significant potential outcomes, we anticipate a close contest that highly slim margins will most likely decide. This is because both sides will be competing for an important outcome in this match. Rangers should be able to perform well enough to win this match and get to within six points of the team in the first place, Celtic, who will be in action on Saturday.