Rangers hope to close the gap on Celtic

Soccer Betting Lines

01/27/2012 - Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers welcome Hibernian to Ibrox in Scottish Premier League play on Saturday with an opportunity to place some additional pressure on first-place Celtic.

The Hoops lead the league with 59 points through 24 games, four points better than their fierce city rivals in as many contests.

But with Celtic set to face First Division side Falkirk in the semifinals of the Scottish Communities League Cup on Sunday, three points against Hibs on Saturday would provide the Gers with some much needed rejuvenation as they look to move within a point of the leaders.

But Rangers will have to do it without its leading scorer after it was revealed that Nikica Jelavic will miss the clash with an illness.

"[Jelavic] won't be available [Saturday]," said Rangers boss Ally McCoist. "He's got a bug and the doctor has been to see him, and his family has been affected too."

Rangers are coming off of a 1-1 draw with Aberdeen that saw American midfielder Maurice Edu rescue a point at Ibrox just four minutes after Kari Arnason put the visitors in front.

Hibernian, meanwhile, fell to St. Johnstone, 3-2, in its last outing, leaving the club second from bottom with just 18 points on the season.

The Gers hold the edge over Hibs in overall SPL meetings, claiming 32 wins from 46 matches. There have been eight draws.

Elsewhere in Scottish Premier League play Saturday, Aberdeen, buoyed by the addition of midfielder Stephen Hughes, hopes to extend its unbeaten run to five games when it hosts last-place Dunfermline.

Inverness, having landed French midfielder Claude Gnakpa on loan for the remainder of the season, goes for its third-straight win when it hosts St. Mirren at Caledonian Stadium.

And finally, Motherwell looks to build upon its 3-1 defeat of Dunfermline in its last outing as it hosts St. Johnstone at Fir Park.

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