IT has been a very Merry Christmas for Rangers fans with their side sitting 16 points clear at the top of the SPFL Premiership heading into this Boxing Day clash with Hibernian.
Steven Gerrard's men remain unbeaten in the league having played half their games with victory at St Johnstone in midweek making it 11 consecutive Premiership wins.
That's championship-winning form and their only blip all season has been a 3-2 defeat to St Mirren in the League Cup, with Gers winning two in a row since then to get back on track.
Celtic may have three games in hand but Rangers don't look like slipping up and they will be determined to head into the New Year derby at Ibrox having chalked up two more wins.
But the visit of the Hibees will be a test, with Jack Ross' side sitting third in the table after grinding out a 1-0 win over St Mirren in midweek.
The Easter Road side were the first team to score against Rangers this season and that 2-2 draw in the capital proved Hibs have the players to punish any slackness from Gerrard's men.
However, striker Christian Doidge will be suspended for this game after a red card in midweek while keeper Ofir Marciano and midfielder Kyle Magennis are injury doubts.
How the bookies view it
Rangers are McBookie's 1/4 favourites with Hibs as big as 12/1 with William Hill which might force a few fans into a festive flutter. Even the draw pays a whopping 6/1 at SBK.
Recent head to head
Rangers won all three meetings last season, including a 6-1 thrashing at Ibrox (below), but this fixture had been pretty close before that. Three of the four games were drawn in season 2018/19 and in the campaign before that Hibs won both fixtures at Ibrox.
Players to watch
Kemar Roofe has scored three in his last two games and should lead the line up front ahead of Alfredo Morelos. The former Leeds and Anderlecht forward is evens at BetVictor for anytime scorer and 7/2 with Bet365 to break the deadlock.
Doidge will be a big miss for the Hibees and Kevin Nisbet will have to shoulder the burden for goals alone. He's 7/2 at Genting to grab his 13th goal of the season.
Anything else catch the eye?
Hibs stopper Ryan Porteous has picked up four yellows and a red in this fixture and was involved in a flashpoint with Gers stars after that 2-2 draw earlier in the season.
More sparks will surely fly at Ibrox and he looks terrific value at 9/4 with Bet365 to be carded. A red card for any Hibs player might also be worth a speculative punt at 5/1 with Paddy Power.
Rangers haven't been as secure at the back as they were at the start of the season, conceding in three of their last four games. For that reason, both teams to score could be worth a punt at 24/23 with SBK.
If Marciano misses out for Hibs it could help Gers grab a few goals and over 2.5 strikes for Gerrard's team pays 21/20 at McBookie. I tipped Rangers to hit over 2.5 goals last weekend and it came up right at the death as they hit a stoppage-time third against Motherwell.
This Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Hibernian will be played on Dec 26, 2020 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Rangers vs Hibernian prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
