RANGERS VS HIBS INJURY NEWS: 4 OUT AND 3 DOUBTS WITH DEREK MCINNES SET FOR KEY DECISION ON QUARTET AT IBROX

Derek McInnes is preparing to make some of the most important calls of his fledgling Rangers reign as his side prepare to welcome Hibs to Ibrox on Sunday afternoon in what already feels like a pivotal moment in the club’s fledgling 2026/27 campaign. Kick-off is set for 4pm, and with Rangers still searching for their first win of the season after a stuttering start on multiple fronts, the pressure is beginning to build on a squad and a manager both still finding their feet amid a summer of significant upheaval at Ibrox. The team news emerging in the build-up to this weekend’s clash makes for interesting reading, with McInnes facing a genuine selection puzzle across several positions as he looks to arrest a worrying dip in form before it becomes anything more serious.

Rangers’ opening two competitive fixtures of the season have offered little in the way of encouragement for a support desperate to see tangible progress under their new manager. The campaign began with a distinctly underwhelming 1-1 draw against Dundee United, a result that flattered to deceive given the promise shown in patches, before McInnes suffered his first taste of continental disappointment as Rangers slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Jagiellonia Bialystok in the opening leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie in Poland on Thursday night. That result, in particular, will have stung given how the evening began, with Rangers racing into an early lead only to concede twice inside a nine-minute spell through a combination of individual errors and defensive uncertainty that has become an uncomfortably familiar theme in the opening weeks of the season. Adding to the sense of a team still searching for its identity, McInnes has now been forced into wholesale changes at half-time in both of his side’s opening competitive matches, a pattern that speaks to ongoing struggles with tactical setup, player fitness and in-game management as the new-look squad continues to gel.

This weekend’s fixture represents Rangers’ first home league outing of the new campaign, and with it comes an opportunity to reset the tone for the season in front of a passionate Ibrox crowd who will be desperate to see their side finally click into gear. Hibs arrive in Glasgow off the back of contrasting fortunes of their own, having secured a dramatic late 2-1 victory over Shkendija in their Conference League qualifier to keep their own European ambitions alive, but that continental success has been offset by domestic disappointment, with David Gray’s side having suffered a similarly late 2-1 defeat to Motherwell in their opening Scottish Premiership fixture of the season. Both sides, then, arrive at Ibrox in search of their first league points of the campaign, setting up what promises to be a fiercely contested and potentially pivotal early-season encounter between two clubs eager to establish momentum before the schedule intensifies further.

At the heart of the pre-match build-up is a significant injury and selection headache for McInnes, with Rangers facing this crucial fixture without four key players and with a further three names hanging in the balance as fitness assessments continue in the days leading up to kick-off. The situation underlines just how testing the opening weeks of the season have already proven for a Rangers squad still adjusting to a huge volume of incoming and outgoing transfer activity, along with the physical toll of an early continental fixture squeezed in between domestic commitments.

Among the most eye-catching entries on the injury list is midfielder Connor Barron, who has been handed a doubt tag for the visit of Hibs after struggling with a knee niggle throughout pre-season that has left him a little behind his teammates in terms of match sharpness and overall conditioning. Barron’s absence from Rangers’ squads for both of the club’s opening competitive fixtures of the season will have been a frustrating watch for the player himself, given the role he might otherwise have been expected to play in a Rangers midfield that has looked short of control and composure in the early weeks of the campaign. Whether he is deemed fit enough to feature against Hibs remains to be seen, with McInnes and his medical staff likely to assess the midfielder in training over the coming days before making a final call on his involvement. Given the defensive and midfield uncertainty already evident in Rangers’ opening two matches, the prospect of welcoming back a player of Barron’s profile and experience will be a welcome one for supporters hoping to see greater stability restored to the engine room of the team, even if his precise timeline for a return to full match sharpness remains something of an unknown quantity.

On the opposite side of the divide, Hibs will also be sweating on the fitness of one of their own key men ahead of the trip to Glasgow. Jamie McGrath, the influential Republic of Ireland international, has missed the entirety of his side’s opening weeks of the season due to a calf issue and remains a doubt for the clash with Rangers as David Gray weighs up his own selection options. McGrath’s creativity and experience in the final third would represent a significant boost for Hibs were he to be passed fit in time for Sunday’s fixture, and his continued absence has undoubtedly been a contributing factor in the visitors’ own slow start to the domestic campaign. Gray will be monitoring the midfielder’s recovery closely in the build-up to the match, mindful of the balance between rushing a key player back into contention too soon and missing out on the considerable qualities he can offer against a Rangers side already showing defensive vulnerabilities of their own.

Back on the home front, McInnes has confirmed that Ben Godfrey will be unavailable for a considerable period after the England international was ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring issue, a blow that could scarcely have come at a worse time given the defensive struggles already evident in Rangers’ opening fixtures. Godfrey’s absence was already keenly felt in Poland on Thursday night, with Ross McCrorie deputising at right-back in his absence as Rangers’ defence endured a torrid evening against Jagiellonia, and his continued unavailability for a month or more will place further strain on a backline that has looked short of cohesion and confidence in the early weeks of the season. Given the well-documented defensive issues that contributed directly to Rangers’ European exit-threatening defeat in Bialystok, the timing of Godfrey’s injury is a considerable setback for McInnes as he attempts to shore up an area of the pitch that has proven alarmingly porous so far this campaign. Supporters will hope the club has sufficient defensive cover to paper over the gap left by Godfrey’s absence, though with question marks already hovering over several of his defensive colleagues following underwhelming individual performances in Europe, the timing could hardly be worse.

Perhaps the most intriguing decision facing McInnes ahead of Sunday’s fixture concerns summer signing Olwethu Makhanya, who could be handed his Rangers debut against Hibs following a difficult defensive night for the club’s existing options against Jagiellonia in midweek. The South African defender arrived at Ibrox as part of a busy summer of recruitment aimed at reshaping and strengthening a Rangers squad in need of fresh legs and renewed competition for places across several areas of the pitch, and after witnessing the defensive frailties on display in Poland, McInnes may well feel now is the moment to hand Makhanya his first taste of competitive action in a Rangers shirt. It represents something of a gamble, throwing a player unfamiliar with the demands of Scottish football and the unique pressures of turning out for Rangers straight into a heated derby-adjacent atmosphere against a well-organised Hibs side, but given the alternative of persisting with a defensive unit that shipped two goals through individual errors just days earlier, the temptation to blood the new arrival may prove difficult to resist. Should Makhanya be handed his debut, it will represent a significant moment not just for the player himself but for a Rangers defence in need of a fresh look and renewed confidence heading into the business end of what is already shaping up to be a demanding opening block of fixtures.

The broader context surrounding this quartet of team news items paints a picture of a Rangers squad and coaching staff still very much in transition, adapting on the fly to a combination of long-term injury setbacks, fitness doubts carried over from pre-season, and the pressing need to find fresh defensive solutions after a chastening European experience. McInnes finds himself in the unenviable position of having to balance patience with pragmatism, weighing up whether to persist with players who have struggled for early-season form and fitness or take the bolder step of accelerating the introduction of new faces such as Makhanya into the fold. It is exactly the sort of selection dilemma that defines the opening weeks of any new managerial reign, particularly one accompanied by such wholesale squad turnover as Rangers have experienced this summer, and how McInnes navigates these decisions in the coming days will offer an early indication of his man-management approach and tactical philosophy as he continues to settle into life at Ibrox.

For Hibs, meanwhile, the picture is one of cautious optimism tempered by their own fitness concerns, with David Gray’s side buoyed by a dramatic late win in Europe but still searching for the kind of domestic consistency that eluded them in their opening league fixture against Motherwell. The prospect of welcoming back a player of Jamie McGrath’s quality would represent a timely boost as Hibs prepare to travel to Ibrox in search of a result that would go a considerable way toward settling any early-season nerves of their own. Facing a Rangers side low on confidence and searching for defensive solutions, Hibs will sense an opportunity to cause an upset, particularly if McGrath is fit enough to feature and Rangers are forced into fielding an inexperienced or reshuffled backline in the continued absence of Godfrey and amid ongoing uncertainty over the fitness of Barron in midfield.

As kick-off approaches, all eyes will be on team sheets released ahead of Sunday’s clash to see precisely how McInnes has resolved the selection dilemmas outlined above. The presence or absence of Barron in midfield will offer clues as to Rangers’ approach to controlling the tempo of the match against a Hibs side who will look to press and disrupt where possible, while the makeup of the Rangers backline in Godfrey’s continued absence will be scrutinised closely given the defensive concerns exposed so vividly in Bialystok earlier in the week. Should Makhanya indeed be handed his full Rangers debut, it will mark the beginning of a new chapter for the defender and offer an early opportunity for supporters to assess whether the club’s summer recruitment in that area of the pitch can provide the solidity so clearly lacking in the opening fortnight of the season.

Ultimately, this weekend’s fixture against Hibs represents far more than simply another league match on the calendar for Rangers and Derek McInnes. With both sides still searching for their first domestic points of the campaign, and with Rangers still processing the fallout from a disappointing European result in midweek, the outcome at Ibrox could go a long way toward shaping the early-season narrative surrounding McInnes’s tenure. A positive result and performance would go some way toward settling nerves both inside the dressing room and among the watching support, while a repeat of the defensive frailties on show against Jagiellonia would only intensify scrutiny on a management team still finding its way in the job. With four key players ruled out and a further three hanging in the balance heading into such a significant fixture, McInnes faces a genuine test of his selection acumen, and how his chosen eleven responds on the pitch at Ibrox this weekend will be watched with considerable interest by a fanbase eager for early signs of progress under their new manager.

Looking more closely at the shape McInnes might opt for in Godfrey’s absence, there is a reasonable expectation that Ross McCrorie could once again be asked to fill in at right-back having already deputised there in Poland, though his showing against Jagiellonia was itself far from flawless, with the experienced defender struggling to react quickly enough to the hosts’ second goal on the night. Alternatively, McInnes could look to reshuffle his options further, perhaps shifting a natural centre-back out wide or turning to whichever fringe options remain available within the senior defensive pool. Whatever route is chosen, the underlying issue remains the same: Rangers’ defence has looked short of composure and organisation in the opening fixtures of the season, and patching over the Godfrey-shaped hole without addressing those deeper structural concerns risks simply relocating the problem rather than solving it. It is a challenge that will require careful thought from the Rangers coaching staff in the days leading up to kick-off, particularly given the attacking quality Hibs are capable of producing on their day.

The midfield picture, too, carries significant weight heading into this fixture. Should Barron remain sidelined, McInnes will likely be forced to continue leaning on the same central pairing that struggled for control against Jagiellonia in midweek, with both Dan Neil and Tochi Chukwuani withdrawn at half-time in Poland having found it difficult to impose themselves on proceedings. A prolonged absence for Barron would represent a real blow in that context, denying the manager one of his more experienced options for regaining a foothold in matches where Rangers are being outworked or outmuscled in the centre of the pitch. Given how instrumental midfield control can be in nullifying the threat of a well-drilled Hibs side capable of springing quickly on the counter, the resolution of Barron’s fitness situation in the coming days could prove just as significant to the eventual outcome at Ibrox as any of the more high-profile defensive selection dilemmas facing the manager.

There is also a broader psychological dimension to consider as Rangers prepare to host Hibs this weekend. Back-to-back winless results to open a new season, culminating in a European reverse against opposition many supporters may not have been overly familiar with beforehand, have a tendency to seep into the collective confidence of a dressing room, however talented the individuals within it might be. McInnes will be acutely aware of the need to manage that mood carefully in the build-up to Sunday’s fixture, striking the right balance between honest reflection on what has gone wrong and instilling the belief required to turn results around quickly. The manner in which Rangers responded after the interval in Poland, dominating possession and territory after the introduction of fresh legs from the bench, offers some grounds for optimism that the underlying quality within the squad remains sound even if results have not yet reflected that promise. Translating that second-half spirit into a full ninety-minute performance against Hibs would go a long way toward restoring belief both inside Ibrox and beyond it.

From Hibs’ perspective, the visit to Glasgow offers a genuine opportunity to make an early statement of their own title and top-six ambitions for the season. David Gray has built a reputation for organised, disciplined sides capable of frustrating more fancied opposition, and a Rangers team still finding its feet defensively represents exactly the kind of opponent his players will believe they can trouble. The manner of Hibs’ win over Shkendija in midweek, snatched late on after looking as though the tie might slip away from them, also speaks to a resilience and never-say-die quality within the squad that could prove valuable against a Rangers side low on early-season confidence. Should McGrath be passed fit to feature, his creative influence in the final third would add a further dimension to a Hibs attack already capable of causing problems on the counter, particularly given the uncertainty currently surrounding the shape and personnel of the home side’s backline.

As the countdown to kick-off continues, McInnes and his coaching staff will spend the coming days fine-tuning their approach, assessing the latest fitness updates on Barron and hoping for positive news that might ease at least one of the selection headaches currently facing the club. Supporters, for their part, will simply be hoping for signs of genuine improvement after a difficult opening fortnight, regardless of the specific names that eventually make it onto the team sheet. Whatever combination McInnes settles upon, the underlying message from Rangers’ opening two fixtures of the season is unmistakable: defensive solidity and midfield control must improve significantly if the club is to avoid a prolonged and uncomfortable start to a campaign that was always going to carry heightened expectation given the scale of the summer’s squad overhaul.

There is, too, the small matter of the second leg against Jagiellonia still looming on the horizon just days after the Hibs fixture concludes, adding a further layer of complexity to McInnes’s squad management this week. Balancing freshness for that must-win European tie against the need to field a strong enough side to secure a first league win of the campaign will require careful rotation, and the extent to which fringe players such as Makhanya are trusted against Hibs may well be influenced by that looming continental commitment as much as by pure form and fitness considerations. It all adds up to an unusually congested and consequential week for Rangers, one that could shape perceptions of the McInnes era for weeks to come depending on how results unfold on both fronts. For now, though, all focus remains on Sunday afternoon at Ibrox, where a Rangers side desperate for a change in fortunes will look to banish the disappointment of the opening fortnight and finally get their domestic campaign up and running in front of an expectant home crowd