Tam McManus believes Hibernian may never have a better chance to end their long winless run against Rangers than when the sides meet tonight, but only if David Gray’s team go after the game with the same conviction they’ve shown in recent weeks.
Hibs have not beaten Rangers in the league for several years; a run ex-Hibee striker McManus describes as a “real hold” the Ibrox side have maintained over them.
Yet with Gray’s side sitting third in the Premiership and coming off back-to-back victories over Livingston and Aberdeen, the former Easter Road striker feels momentum and “a strong starting XI” put Hibs in a position to believe.
“Rangers have had an Indian sign over Hibs for years,” McManus said on PLZ Soccer's big match preview.
“But if there’s ever a better opportunity for Hibs to beat them, it might be Wednesday night.”
McManus expects Gray to stick with the 3-5-2 system that has brought stability and balance.
Much of Hibs’ threat, he says, will come from the front pair – Kieron Bowie and Thibault Klidjé, supported by the intelligent movement of Jamie McGrath.
“Where Hibs can hurt Rangers is in the forward areas,” he added.
“I look at that Rangers back three and I think they can be got at, especially in behind with Klidjé’s pace.”
Kluge has been eased into Scottish football gradually, and McManus credits Gray for resisting early pressure from supporters to throw the young striker straight in.
He said: “David Gray has handled him really well and now he looks a real player.”
What may prove decisive, however, is Hibs’ improved depth.
The presence of Martin Boyle and Elie Youan as high-impact options from the bench, McManus argues, gives Hibs a late-game threat they simply didn’t have last season.
“For the first time in a long time, Hibs have real competition up front. That drives standards,” he said.
Yet even with confidence up and belief rising, McManus is under no illusions about the scale of the task.
Rangers, he notes, are still capable of controlling long stretches of games, and look improved under new head coach Danny Rohl, who defeated Kilmarnock on Sunday in his domestic dugout debut.
But if Hibs can turn Easter Road into a furnace – pressing high, disrupting Rangers rhythm, and feeding off the crowd – McManus believes the streak can end.
He said: “Hibs have only lost once all season.
They’re confident and the stadium will be up for it.
“If they get their big players in good areas, this is as good a time as any.”
Wednesday night may not define either club’s season, but it may reveal whether Rohl’s Rangers are the real deal, or if this is another false dawn in yet another wasted season.