Hibs desperate to home in on Rangers

Hibernian boss Alex McLeish reckons there is no place like home.

He is hoping home advantage against Rangers can help arrest a dip in form which has seen Hibs lose their last three games.

Defeats at Aberdeen, Dunfermline and St Johnstone have left the Easter Road side desperate to get back to home comforts.

Rangers have been busy dropping points as well and the clash is an intriguing one given that a Champions League qualifying place will be won by one of these teams.

Rangers have the upper hand, with a six-point cushion and an extra game. But a home win, plus the fact that the teams will meet again at Ibrox, could mean victory would be a significant turning point.

And McLeish knows that a repeat of their 1-0 win earlier in the season could also be a vital pick-me-up for next weekend's Scottish Cup semi-final with Livingston.

McLeish said: "We've got a home game for the first time in five weeks and we are happy to be back in Edinburgh.

"We are happy to be back in front of our own fans and it's one we would like to win, with a performance to boot.

"If we do that it could give us a great platform for the run-in because there's no doubting what a win against Rangers or Celtic can do for a team."

Dick Advocaat's side have suffered a slump in form which has seen them crash out of the Scottish Cup at Dundee United and surrender any hope of clawing back Celtic's lead at the top of the SPL.

And McLeish is hopeful that his team can take advantage of that on Sunday.

Hibs welcome back skipper Franck Sauzee after a calf injury but midfielder Stuart Lovell misses out following an operation on a troublesome knee injury.

Advocaat will throw in Arthur Numan following almost two months out with a calf injury.

The decision to restore five players after lengthy absences through injury backfired last week when Dundee United took advantage of their lack of sharpness to score two late goals in a 2-0 Ibrox win.

But Advocaat feels he has no choice, particularly as Craig Moore and Tony Vidmar have been called up for international duty by Australia.

Fernando Ricksen is also in the squad after serving a five-match ban but Jorg Albertz, one of last week's returnees, is a doubt.