Rangers vs. Hibernian Tips: Tavernier to star for Beale's Gers

The World Cup isn't over yet but Scottish footballing decision makers made the wise decision of bringing their league back before the final and one of the first games after the Scottish Premiership hiatus is Rangers taking on Hibs. This will be the first game of Michael Beale's reign at Ibrox after Gio van Bronckhorst was sacked before the break for the action in Qatar, and the former QPR man will be looking to get off to the perfect start.

Michael Beale's task is simple at Rangers, the same task that all of the previous Gers managers have faced: overthrow Celtic. After their spluttering start to the season which caused the sacking of van Bronckhorst just a few months after he took them to a famous Europa League final, Rangers trail their Glasgow rivals by nine points in the Scottish Premiership table and will have to be near faultless to claim the title.

Bookmakers don't fancy them to claw back the deficit, with Celtic as short as 1/25 to retain their crown and Rangers out at 10/1 best price. If Beale's side are to pull off the feat they need to be near perfect and this will have to start with a convincing win over Hibs at Ibrox on Thursday night. We've got a couple of tips for your perusal here...

Rangers may not be fully up to speed straight from the get go after the enforced winter break, however with the standard of their opposition they shouldn't need to be. Hibs have been poor all season and have a miserable away record in the league. They are languishing in the bottom half of the table, already facing up to a season of nothingness and look a cushy start for the Gers as they aim to kickstart their new era under Beale.

Even with their iffy results overall under their former boss, Rangers' record at Ibrox was certainly strong when it came to finding the back of the net. They have not been held goalless at Ibrox all season and we can't see Hibs, with their shoddy defence, being the first side to pull it off this campaign.

• Latest Odds For The Scottish Premiership

Of course with the weather and the ring rust for both sides, a lucky Hibs goal could scupper this bet. However, with Rangers keen to make a flying start under Beale we think their defensive unit will be itching to secure a clean sheet and backing them to win to nil at a shade of odds against looks value as the main play.

The next bet we are recommending up at Ibrox is for James Tavernier to get on the scoresheet at 23/10 with Paddy Power and Betfair. Tavernier is Rangers' inspirational captain and it is without question that the free scoring right back will be a cornerstone of Beale's plans moving forward in Glasgow. He is of course on set piece duty and with 6 goals in 15 so far this campaign, is set to beat his tally of 9 in 35 last season.

• Rangers vs, Hibs Full Odds

With Rangers taking on one of the worst teams in the Premiership and with their motivation not up for debate, we can see a big score being racked up and Tavernier can profit either in open play with his marauding runs from full back or indeed from a set piece or penalty kick. 

Best of luck if you are following either of these selections and as always, please remember to gamble responsibly.