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What a day - my wife gave birth to our 2nd baby daughter, baby Charlotte fought back from the brink & then the Gers get one of their best ever European results! Time for a lie down now though..

A Point to Prove Intro The surprise loan of Glenn Middleton from Rangers to Hibs appears to signal a thawing in the icy relations between the clubs of late, but there will be little sign of that when the sides go head to head this weekend in a game which both sides will aim to make a springboard for their season. Background to Game Both come into the tie on the back of opening day victories but still very much with a point to prove. After an overwhelmingly positive pre-season, Rangers failed to convince with a laboured victory at Rugby Park which had an all too familiar feel to it. However, Thursday’s fabulous performance in Denmark has gone a long way to quelling those fears and putting the fans at ease again. Hibs had a similar opening day to Rangers when they left it late to grind out a win over a St Mirren side they would have expected to dispatch of comfortably at Easter Road. Head to Head History For a long time Hibs were not a side Rangers had to worry too much about. In 32 games between 1996 and 2005, Hibs recorded only one victory. The return of Walter Smith in 2007 saw this pattern continue with only 2 losses in 20 games. However, since Rangers were demoted Hibs have proven to be a thorn in their side, restricting the Gers to a mere 8 wins in 22 games. This dismal record continued under Steven Gerrard last season as a poor Hibs side were allowed to land a severe blow to Rangers’ title hopes by holding them to three draws, costing the Ibrox men 6 crucial points. However the tide has started to turn and last season was the first season since 2011-12 that Rangers were unbeaten against Hibs and the one-sided games were a sign that the new rivalry between the clubs is not likely to last. The Opponent A change in regime at Hibs mid-season saw Heckingbottom take the reins and rescue their campaign as they embarked on an unlikely 10 game unbeaten run which lifted them from 8th to 5th place. This was the highest possible finish for the Englishman so it was a massive achievement. Lennon had built his house on the sand of loan deals and favours from Celtic and paid the price in his final season when the latter dried up after the John McGinn saga. Lennon was weighed in the balance and found wanting. Heckingbottom has had a summer to re-build and, in a break from the club’s previous strategy, he is building for the future. Lennon’s Hibs were propped up by the short termist strategy of flooding the squad with loan players and in his final season he made seven loan signings. Remarkably, Heckingbottom has made only two loan signings and has preferred to utilise his extensive knowledge and connections south of the border to make 5 permanent signings who are all between the ages of 23 and 26. The signing of Scott Allan had already been agreed before he came in but is very much in keeping with this strategy. Form Having said that, this season’s Hibs squad doesn’t look like the improvement over last season’s that the fans were expecting. The opening day performance was slow, laboured and lacking dynamism. The loss of Martin Boyle to injury was a huge blow in terms of the team’s attacking threat but Heckingbottom and Leanne Dempster were smart to move quickly to smooth things over with Rangers and secure Glenn Middleton on loan to replace him. Middleton has the ability to provide the pace and end product they are lacking but will not feature this weekend so answers will have to be found elsewhere. Dangerman Mallan and Horgan are both players with the ability to create and shoot from distance but the dangerman without doubt is Scott Allan. Rangers know all too well what Allan is capable of and everything Hibs did well against St Mirren went through him and it was no co-incidence that it was he who saved the day with an impressive winner. Rangers Despite Rangers’ midweek heroics, they still come into the game with a point to prove. Last season Hibs were a bogey team and Gerrard will be determined to vanquish any similarities to last season from the off, not least after the Kilmarnock game when the accusations flooded in that nothing has changed. Furthermore, dropping points ahead of the first Old Firm game of the season on the 1st of September is not an option. It is absolutely crucial that Gerrard takes his men into that game with the chance to go 3 points clear and give themselves a lead to defend and maintain from there on. This, more than anything, will signal to the fans and the country that this season is different. The line-up is difficult to predict. Last season the goalkeeper was not rotated but McGregor is a year older and Foderingham rotated in at Rugby Park after the Progres game last week and is likely to do so again on Sunday. The backline was not rotated after Progres but Katic and Flanagan will be conscious of the competition and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Barisic and Edmundson start in a home game where we will dominate the ball. Helander didn't make the bench in Jutland and Gerrard has been wise not to throw him in and risk damaging his reputation before he is fit and ready. Davis is likely to return to the three in midfield but Kamara offered the fans a reminder of his quality and class in Denmark and this will surely leave Gerrard with another headache. Arfield will always keep his place unless he is unavailable but Jones can rightly feel under threat in a position with no stand-out player as of yet. The addition of Brandon Barker from Man City is likely to have more to do with opportunism than a feeling that he will significantly improve the team, but it will nevertheless make a few nervous. In any case, Ojo is likely to step in for Jones and this is another example of a position the club now have enough depth in to allow for fresh legs to be brought in after a European game. Defoe will rotate back in after Morelos starred midweek and the option of bringing in a fresh striker after European excursions is brand new to Gerrard and could be a crucial factor in this league campaign. As important a player as Morelos is, he isn't the fittest player in the world and the aerially dominant Darren McGregor will not relish the prospect of facing a fresh and hungry Jermaine Defoe who scores his goals on the deck. Predicted Line-up - 4-3-2-1 Predicted Score - Rangers 2-0 Hibs

Congratulations

Arteta did okay though.

Agreed. Tav wasn’t brilliant but he was much more effective and had his best game so far this season

Ronnie?

It took a year for Morales to morph into Morelos, so some patience might be required right enough. As for Caixinha ?

Great preview mate I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I think Morelos will start but Defoe will come on at 60mins. I agree Davis will start but against Killie it started to look like he was losing his legs. Kamara really has to watch where he is trying his fancy tricks as he had a few bad moments against the Danes. He causes goals or at least serious chances with his play around our box.

I don't see the result getting the praise it deserves nor Gerrard getting the praise he deserves. All three Scottish teams playing away and we were the only team to win and not just nick a win. We won handsomely against a side we all agreed beforehand were far and away the toughest test yet and arguably the best side any of the Scottish Scottish teams were playing. Personally I can't offhand remember a Scottish team scoring 4 goals away at this advanced stage of qualification. As for the manager he inherited a side that had fallen at QR1 the year before and now looks well capable of taking us to the groups two out of two. He has a remarkable record in Europe that can't have been bettered so quickly by too many 'rookie' managers. And perhaps none who came into the situation he did with just weeks to build a side that got to the groups at his first attempt. And I agree with something Gerrard said afterwards tonight. He said "I'm not sure we had this performance in us last year but I think we've gone up a level" and I think there has been ample evidence of that since the beginning of pre season. So far I haven't seen much media or otherwise credit for this stunning result but one way to put another hole in their silence bubble would be to carry this type of form on to Sunday. With it being the first home game of the domestic season and following such a fabulous Euro result Gerrards appeal in the post match interview for Ibrox to be rocking on Sunday is highly likely to be fulfilled. He said there would be a 'few changes to freshen it up' On the evidence to date Hibs don't stand a chance given that this is our first home domestic game and we're on a roll. They're nowhere near as good Midtjylland and no matter what the 'few' changes will be we have extreme danger in more than one configuration. If Hibs end up pinned back and making it difficult I just don't see them holding back the tide indefinitely. Keep in mind that the strongest feature of Midtjylland was their defence particularly at home and we put 4 past them. Much the same is a realistic possibility against Hibs. Hibs on their own ground last week laboured to beat relegation candidate St Mirren and took until the 85th minute to get the goal for a 1-0 win. A win in which St Mirren recorded 14 shots at goal to 13 for Hibs with both recording 5 shots on target. I have to conclude that Rangers at Ibrox will be a level too far for Hibs. Now if that did indeed come to pass with us recording an impressive performance and a handsome win: then within the space of a few days it would have become ever harder for them to not give some credit even if it were only grudgingly. I'm hoping one of the 'few changes' isn't Aribo. He can battle for a ball with the best plus make long runs at speed into danger areas and I don't want his run of starts broken. He might get even better with consistent starts.

I don't think it does, another reason why is because Darren McGregor is strong and loves a physical battle but can be found out if tested in a different way. I think he'll fear a fresh Defoe more but that's just my opinion.

The right foot shot was wild but the turn to make himself space was sublime....Morelos was a giant last night who looked to be enjoying himself oh and after being fouled half a dozen times gets booked for probably his first foul.

Legend, a true blue hero. Miss him still.

I was boarding a flight at about 7:15 so had to miss most of the game, but I kept the game on my phone until they told us to switch our phones to airplane mode. That’s when I noticed the guy in front of me was watching the game on his phone too, and carried on for 5 minutes after they told us to put airplane mode on, I watched the game on his phone for that time. Then I saw him switching to see the stats for the game on a website and finally stopped when we were taking off. I thought this guy is a big fan and is as gutted as I am to be missing the game. As I expected, the second we landed he whipped out his phone to check the score and then started texting in WhatsApp groups. It was when he was switching apps that I couldn’t help but notice a strangely green and white wallpaper for someone I thought was a Rangers fan. These people are not. normal.

Aribo's first touch was so important as was the weight of Jones's pass....superb.

Hutch‏ @Alan50583050 FollowFollow @Alan50583050 More Richard Gordon on @BBCSportsound "Aberdeen have a lot to do and Midtjylland have a lot to do" The seethe is fucking ecstasy

Well done to you and Mrs 917. Another wee Bearette about to flourish.

I had a pretty flawless service from RTV tonight.

After finally (two years too late) disposing of Progres last week and an exciting, if also late, win over Kilmarnock on Sunday, Rangers return to European action tonight in Denmark. This time we face FC Midtjylland whom are an unknown quantity for most Rangers fans with only former Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko familiar to the majority of us. However, the Danes are well experienced in the competition in recent years - even if they've only reached the group stage once, qualifying as well before being knocked out by eventual finalists Liverpool in the last 32 in 2015/16. They've shared the last five league titles with Copenhagen and are joint top with them in the Danish Superliga right now after four league matches. Suffice to say, this is no gimme. Fortunately, Rangers have had a good summer as well so can be confident in the tie. Although we've been less than convincing in our last few competitive games, we can take confidence from knocking out Progres very comfortably and also beating Killie on an awful pitch, despite losing a goal with just ten mins to go. Indeed, given set pieces are one of Midtjylland's biggest strengths, that may be a slight concern ahead of tonight's game in particular. With that in mind, Steven Gerrard's team selection will be interesting, especially in defence. Both Niko Katic and Connor Goldson have been key players in an attacking sense of late but, despite being fairly solid defensively in a general sense, both have had their dodgy moments as well. Goldson, in particular, misjudged the flight of free kick that led to Sunday's equaliser - an error we can ill-afford tonight. With other options such as Edmundson (he was a very late sub on Sunday) and Helander (perhaps still not match fit), it's not beyond the realms of possibility we may see a back three this evening. Full/wing back roles should again be taken by Tavernier and Barisic, even if both have struggled for form in recent weeks. Our midfield balance will also be important this evening, especially after a poor second half contribution from Sunday's selected three. Davis, Jack and Aribo have all done very well through July's friendlies and other qualifiers but none of the three were particularly effective against Kilmarnock. The same can be said for Ojo and Arfield in the attacking roles but the latter should find it easier to find space against the Danes. Ojo may well be replaced by someone like Docherty in favour of his drive and bob-to-box nature of his play. Others such as Glen Kamara, Jordan Jones and Greg Stewart will also be keen to step in if called upon. In attack (and barring any late transfer movement), Alfredo Morelos should lead the line tonight and will been keen to get scoring again if selected. The Colombian lacked decent service for much of the last two games but will hope his experience of the Scandinavian leagues is useful this evening. It's crucial that when we create any chances, we take them as an away goal could be vital in a tie that looks very hard to call. For the winners, a play-off round awaits in either Poland or Greece with the associated essential monies the group stage can yield. Given Rangers' continuing legal issues with restrictive retail deals and our nearest rivals selling players for £25m then such a reward cannot be underestimated. One by one all the hurdles are becoming bigger so let's hope we're all walking with a spring in our step later tonight. Possible XI (4-3-2-1):

Unlikely. They do this every once in a while to get you hooked.

You’ve answered your own question there ? anyway Liverpool v Norwich is on live free on Sky 1. Hopefully a regular thing with Friday night EPL games this season..

I watched it and the "Hobbit" let so many "card " tackles go.The same ones would have seen our players punished,so will be interesting to see what he does when in charge of us next.

By that do you mean he was a tad below his excellent normal high standard? Tav played well as did the whole team

I am still so much in the sky after last night I might even watch the Partick Thistle against Dundee Celtic.

Huge potential, and for me is our best CB, aggressive in defence and attack, good bet for a goal every week, pity he can't have a word in the ear of his fellow countryman to get the finger oot!

Maybe we can now stop calling him Brendan? It's demeaning. ?

One day we're going to make a lot of money out of Katic.

From the manager`s mouth (pre-Hibs interview): Brendan Barker is having the second part of his medical today and it is all rather close. Glen Middleton was "super-close" to going to Holland on loan when Hibs entered the fray. It was Middleton`s decision to go there and he will do so on Monday (or the like). Loan requests are there, but the numbers don`t suit the club right now. Incomings .. we are nearly done and close to completion.

With the way Ejaria and Kent barely missed a game last season I think Gerrard will be very reluctant to drop Ojo but it will be very interesting.

Good preview, easy to read format as well, enjoyed that. As for the team, I agree with all of the comments in this thread so far, so we need to start with 15 players! Seriously, I think Flanagan will be rested as that was a big 90 minutes for someone just back and Barasic will come back in, Davis will return to midfield in place of the injured Kamara, and I think maybe Ojo will come back in perhaps for Arfield who seemed to be not quite at the pace last night given he was still a couple of weeks behind the rest of the players. I cant see Morelos not starting after that magnificent performance last night, but I would not be the slightest concerned if Defoe gets the nod for Sunday. If Morelos plays from the start on Sunday, Defoe will probably start on Thursday. Jones performance last night got singled out by SG, so looks like he will keep his place, but he wont find it as easy against a stuffy Hibs side who wont allow him the space and will probably double up on the outsides as well, so hopefully he can continue his development by learning how to play against those types, not just his speciality of counter-attacking. After such a great result and performance, it is good the next game is only a few days away, and I am sure I am like most Bears in wishing it was today and not Sunday we were playing! Bring it on!

Yes I think if he does start he'll at least get a rest and Defoe's legs given a good stretch, it'll be a very interesting call by the gaffer Did he? I only saw sections of the game so I didn't see that, he looked very good throughout the spells I saw. He seemed to suit that game because he had the strength to hold of some of their big players.

He has only had one booking and so is another 2 yellows away from suspension with only 3 games to play before any bookings are wiped so I'm not so sure.

Brilliant stuff mate - enjoyed the format. If anyone else fancies contributing previews, please let me or @Rousseau know and we will publish it to the main site. If you have other skills that you think would help the site, please give me a shout too!

Rangers chat only plz.

Speaking with a Hamburg fan in Florida last week says that he has talent but his distribution was poor, so sounds like he hasn't improved any.

It’s looking a close run award this week ?

I've just came doon aff the ceiling after that game. Make no mistake about it folks the Danes were a good strong technically gifted team who wanted to play the game on the front foot especially in the final third of the park. We paid a fairly heavy price switching off at 3-0 up to concede two avoidable goals. At both goals I was calling for Scotty Arfield to be hooked as he was running on a pensioners legs but in saying that if he had been hooked then he wouldn't have been there to slot a lovely pass, from Alfredo Morelos, into the back of the net beyond the Danes keeper to make it 2-4 on the night. Jordan Jones after somewhat of a nervy start, against a very tidy right back, showed us what he is capable of with some absolutely lovely exchanges of passing and moving inside with Joe Aribo. Alfies late yellow had me baffled but what a performance he put in absolutely outstanding from him with a goal and a number of assists especially when at a Rangers corner he controlled Glen Kamaras knock down from the edge of the box slipped it to Nikola Katic to slot home with the outside of the boot. We are the people!

Grezda didn't play against us Plus that premise is ludicrous

Have we not learned our lesson??? We signed Barasic and Grezda because they played well against us in Europe. One is out the door and one is arguably 3rd choice left back

BTW, their left-sided centre half with the long hair (booked and later taken off) was very poor tonight. Hopefully we can get at him if he plays next week.

???

Don't know how you guys feel, but I think this has been a brilliant game of football.

Every tie I see Kamara play I think what a bargain we have, oozes class in everything he does. Katic is an animal and loves a battle.

At the first old firm game we should have a banner the length of the Govan stand so the TV cameras dont miss it .