Giovanni van Bronckhorst will take charge of Rangers for the first time on Sunday as he has the opportunity to guide the club into the Scottish League Cup final. However, in order to do that they must defeat Hibernian for the second time this season, with the visitors looking to end their four-match losing streak.

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Match preview

Rangers will be in action for the first time without Steven Gerrard in charge on Sunday as the Scottish League Cup semi-final takes place, and Van Bronckhorst has the chance to make a major impact. He takes over a team sitting top of the SPL and with a huge cup game ahead, which is an ideal situation for any football manager. The Gers have been enjoying an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions, and that was kickstarted by a victory against Hibernian in the league. When the two teams last met, Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos were both on the scoresheet as the team had to fight from behind after Kevin Nisbet had given the Hibees the lead in the first half. Since that point, Rangers have not looked back and they come into this game with a lot of confidence, especially offensively after scoring 11 goals in their past three matches. Last season they were knocked out in the quarter-final stage, therefore the Gers have already improved on those efforts, but the club will no doubt be hoping to win the trophy for the first time since the 2010-11 season. On the other hand, Hibernian found themselves in this position during the 2020-21 campaign, but they fell short against the eventual winners, St Johnstone as they lost 3-0 in the semi-final. However, the Hibees do not come into this match under the best circumstances, having lost their previous four matches, a run which started when they last faced their opponents on Sunday. Since that point they have been defeated by Dundee United, Aberdeen and Celtic, conceding nine goals throughout this string of games while only scoring twice. It is less than ideal preparation for the squad, but they have been dominant in the Scottish League Cup this year, with a 2-0 victory against Livingston being followed up by a 3-1 win in the quarter-final to earn this spot.

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Team News

With this being van Bronckhorst's first game in charge, it is tough to predict how he will set his team out in terms of formation and personnel, but because he has only had a few days with the squad, it could be similar to Gerrard's ideas for now. However, he will be missing a key player at the weekend after Roofe suffered an injury while on international duty, which is likely going to rule him out of this particular fixture. Martin Boyle and Nisbet will both provide attacking threats for Hibernian in this game, with each man enjoying a successful season so far. Jack Ross will also be boosted by Darren McGregor and Ryan Porteous both being available after their recent suspensions, which will provide further strength to the defensive setup. Rangers possible starting lineup: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Bassey; Aribo, Lundstram, Bacuna; Kent, Sakala, Hagi Hibernian possible starting lineup: Macey; McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Doig; Boyle, Doyle-Hayes, Gogic, Newell, Murphy; Nisbet

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We said: Rangers 2-1 Hibernian

Cup football, by its very nature, is unpredictable, but Rangers have the stronger squad and they are certainly a stronger squad in terms of attacking ability. With a new manager in charge, there should be a buzz about the Gers which could lead to them finding a place in the Scottish League Cup final.

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