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Hibernian are in a better position to beat Rangers, says Alan Stubbs

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Alan Stubbs respects Rangers' start to the season but is hopeful his Hibernian team can catch them

Alan Stubbs believes his Hibernian team are in a stronger position to beat Rangers than they were the last time the sides met in August.

The top two in the Scottish Championship meet at Easter Road on Sunday with Rangers having won the previous two games between the sides this season.

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Rangers won 6-2 in Mark Warburton's first game in charge at Easter Road back in July and their Petrofac Training Cup success set a tone as they were also victorious in their next 10 outings.

Included in that run was another victory against Hibs, albeit it was a much closer affair as only James Tavernier's free kick separated the teams at Ibrox on August 23.

Since then, Stubbs has seen Hibernian remain unbeaten to close to within eight points of Rangers at the top of the table, and the former Everton defender believes his players can edge even closer this weekend if they play to their potential.

James Tavernier and Rangers celebrate
Image: James Tavernier's goal separated Rangers and Hibernian when they last met in August

Stubbs told Sky Sports Now: "Whenever we play at home, we want to win every game so whether it's Rangers or any other team in the division, Sunday is no different.

"We're at home and we're looking to try and win the game. All we're really focusing on is Sunday and if we perform to our maximum, we've got a great chance of winning the game.

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"I think we're in a stronger position as a squad. We've won eight of our last nine [league] games so we go into the game in good form but I must say so do Rangers.

Alan Stubbs and Mark Warburton
Image: Mark Warburton (right) has seen his Rangers team pull eight points clear of Hibs, managed by Alan Stubbs (centre)

"How do we stop them? We do the things we did when we went to Ibrox but instead of just creating chances, we've got to put them away. That's the one thing we missed at Ibrox. We created some really good chances, one which I expected us to put away but we never.

"Unfortunately we lost but on Sunday we're at home in front of what we hope will be a big crowd. Our fans have been fantastic recently and hopefully they'll be there cheering us on to a victory."

A Rangers win would take them 11 points clear of Hibs and Stubbs said how important it is for his side to at least avoid defeat.

Martyn Waghorn scores his first goal for Rangers
Image: Martyn Waghorn (right) scored twice for Rangers as they won 6-2 at Hibs in July

"I've got to be honest and say we're not really worrying about the gap," Stubbs added. "We're worrying about our performance on Sunday and if we can perform to our capabilities, we've got a very good chance of winning that game.

"Yes, we are conscious of not letting the gap get too big but our form is very good and we're 10 points better off than we were this time last season.

"It's just unfortunate that Rangers have won every game. Whichever way you look at it, you've got to take your hat off to them. Their form is impressive.

"It's got the makings of a really good game. We're two teams that want to play football. We'll respect Rangers and they've certainly got strengths within the team.

"But we feel as if we've got players who can hurt them. On the day, it will be about which team performs better than the other and I know for a fact my players will be ready for Sunday."