Hibernian goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger is banking on happy Ibrox memories as the Edinburgh side seek their first league win of the season against Rangers. Hibs have won two of their last three visits to Ibrox, including a 2-1 victory in May, where Sallinger impressed in what was Danny Rohl's final game in charge.
Confidence high after European win
Following a defeat to Motherwell in their opening league fixture, Hibs lifted spirits with a hard-fought Conference League win over Shkendija on Thursday. Sallinger believes that result, combined with previous success in Glasgow, gives the team a boost.
“I’m ambitious in every game and want to help the team win,” he said. “Recent visits to Glasgow were pretty good for us and we are full of confidence after Thursday. Rangers will be favourites and we’ll have to defend well and keep the game open as long as we can. We have to use all of the chances we can get.”
Rangers under new management
Rangers will look different from the side Hibs faced in May, with new boss Derek McInnes overseeing a squad overhaul. In contrast, Hibs manager David Gray has made only minor tweaks, maintaining continuity within the squad.
Sallinger added: “Maybe we are more compact as we have played together for a longer time. But we are only focused on ourselves and we trust our abilities.”
Hibs aiming to click in attack
Hibs secured a narrow first-leg win over Shkendija in the Europa Conference League third qualifying round, but Sallinger is keen to see more goals. He said: “The good thing is we are on top in games and creating chances. If we keep playing like that we will score more goals.
“At our highest level, we are a very good side. We should have beaten Motherwell and, against Shkendija, we created a lot of chances and found a way to win. We were on top all match and should have scored three or four. But we found a way to win and it was important to have a positive result to take into the next game.”
