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Scottish Premiership: Rangers v Hibernian
Date: Monday, 15 December Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow Time: 19:45 GMT
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app
Rangers remain undefeated in the Scottish Premiership under Danny Rohl as they go looking for a third win over Hibernian this season.
The German has brought stability, served up with a dollop of pragmatism, after the freewheeling chaos and acrimony of the brief Russell Martin reign.
He has delivered five wins from seven in the league, which is as many as the team managed in their prior 18 outings.
Rangers have also kept four clean sheets in their past six top-flight matches, which is as many as they did in their previous 28.
Rohl rarely gives an interview without using the phrase "step forward" and those figures scream progress, although the bar had been set low and there have been recent disappointments in Europe.
Rangers sat sixth in the table when Rohl arrived, 13 points behind leaders Hearts. Now in fourth place, the gap is 12 but the Edinburgh side have played two games more.
This is not the one or two-horse race Scottish Premiership onlookers have been accustomed to, with Hearts losing just once in 17 outings, Motherwell showing remarkable consistency in a nine-game unbeaten league run, while champions Celtic are six points in front of their Old Firm rivals but enduring a major wobble under new boss WIlfried Nancy.
If Rangers can do an Edinburgh double over Hibs and Hearts in the next six days, they could go into 2026 revitalised and very much in the title mix.
Monday's game is an opportunity to nudge into third but playing catch-up is a high-wire act for Rohl, who cannot afford to lose ground.
The stakes are high for the visitors too since David Gray's side could also take that third spot.
Hibs did win on their last league visit to Ibrox, a 2-0 success in April, but had lost 11 in a row in Govan beforehand.
Many made them favourites for September's Premeir Sports Cup tie against a backdrop of furious protests against Martin, but they barely laid a glove on the hosts after the video assistant referee (VAR) spotted a handball from Martin Boyle as he slotted past Jack Butland.
At Easter Road, in what was Rohl's second Premiership match, Danilo accepted an early gift and Rangers dug in stubbornly to protect their lead, thankful for a late penalty save from Butland to deny Jamie McGrath.
Hibs have yet to beat any of the teams above them in the table this term and Gray tends to lean toward caution in big games on the road.
There was a 0-0 at Celtic Park in late September, while an added-time goal denied them the same outcome in a dire derby at Tynecastle a few days later.
"We've already demonstrated against top teams that we can go toe-to-toe with them," said Gray.
"It is so tight at the moment. If you can put back-to-back wins together it can make a big difference."
Injuries have left Rangers weakened at the back, so it might be best to try a different approach this time, while those defensive frailties may encourage Rohl to put the emphasis on attack too, given the importance of this period for his side.
Rangers expect to be able to call on the services of Nasser Djiga for the last time until next month as the centre-half heads to the Africa Cup of Nations with Burkina Faso.
Midfielder Mohamed Diomande returns from suspension, but Bojan Miovski is a doubt after sustaining a leg injury in the second half of Thursday's Europa League defeat away to Ferencvaros.
John Souttar, Derek Cornelius, Nedim Bajrami and Oliver Antman are sidelined.
Hibs will be without centre-back Rocky Bushiri (DR Congo) but have been granted permission to play left-back Jordan Obita (Uganda) and midfielder Miguel Chaiwa (Zambia) before they leave for the Afcon tournament in Morocco.
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