Lee Johnson has challenged his Hibs players to come out of the blocks 'absolutely flying' against Rangers.
The Easter Road boss has been working hard behind the scenes on the training ground to put things right after a poor run of form in the build-up to the World Cup shutdown. The Hibees at one point sat third in the table but they've slumped down to eighth spot as they target a return to form in a bid to challenge for the top six and European places.
Preparations have also had to change up due to Michael Beale's arrival at Rangers following the sacking of Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The capital gaffer has given an insight into how he has prepared his players for the Ibrox showdown as they bid to cause an upset and take all three points in what is set to be a massive night for the men from Govan. He told Hibs TV: “We need to come out of the blocks absolutely flying on Thursday. I want to see a really well-disciplined performance and three points.
READ MORE: Steven Bradley Hibs transfer exit confirmed as Lee Johnson begins cutting down Easter Road squad
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“I think we’ve got to cope with the atmosphere and play our way. For the majority of the season, we’ve done that, but we haven’t always hit the 96 minutes or managed both boxes anywhere near as well as we can.
“It’s all to play for in this league. We’ve got two thirds of the season to go, a really important cup match, and we’re well up for it.
“We’re looking for stepping out at Ibrox and showing what we’ve been working on.”
He continued: “We’ve done our best with it. A manager or coach will always have a particular philosophy that they tend to work too, so not only have we shown Rangers clips and individual players, but also Rangers under Gerrard, and Queens Park Rangers under Beale.
“We have an understanding, but it’s still the Rangers players that are going to execute that plan.
“They have high quality players, and we will have to be on the top of our game to disrupt them, but also play out game as well.”
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