John Hughes has insisted Hibernian are "miles away" from splitting the Old Firm but hopes his side can leapfrog both for the time being by beating Rangers this weekend.

Hibs' opponents could hardly be at a lower ebb, having been humiliated by Romanian minnows Unirea Urziceni on Tuesday night to leave their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread, as well as being without key men Madjid Bougherra and Pedro Mendes though injury.

Hughes' men have been tipped to pile on the misery for Walter Smith's side by winning at Ibrox on Saturday and going top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

But the Hibs boss is adamant being Rangers' next opponents after their 4-1 midweek drubbing will make the visitors' task even more difficult than it otherwise would have been.

Asked if it was a good or bad time to be travelling to the south side of Glasgow, former Celtic defender Hughes replied without missing a beat: "Bad time.

"Having had the experience of playing for the other half of the Old Firm, I know the demands that are on you from the supporters.

"They're getting hammered in the media; everybody's having a go at them.

"But you'll never get me jumping on that bandwagon.

"Why? We're playing the Scottish champions."

Hughes attended Tuesday night's Group G game and does not buy into the assessment Rangers were beaten by a poor team.

"They're the Romanian champions," he said.

"I felt technically they were good, they were sharp, great ball retention.

"To lose the goals Rangers lost, you could never predict that - that's really bad luck."

He added: "I've got too much respect for Rangers, too much respect for Walter, the staff and everybody concerned with Rangers to get caught up in the media stuff.

"We'll need to be at our best; we'll need to carry a lot of luck to make sure three points come back to Easter Road."

With third-placed Hibs just two point behind Saturday's opponents and one behind Celtic, there has been talk of one of the Old Firm finishing outside the top two for the first time since 2006.

Hughes said: "I think we are getting closer.

"But I still think we're miles away from splitting the Old Firm.

"You have got that ambition eventually but you can't do it overnight."

Hughes reckons Rangers and Celtic's financial muscle relative to their SPL rivals makes them almost impossible to separate on a regular basis.

He said: "Just looking at what comes through the turnstile, what's the capacity at Ibrox - 50-odd thousand?

"But, as a manager, that doesn't stop you putting demands on your players.

"If you look at Sir Alex Ferguson all those years ago, his Aberdeen side loved going to Glasgow and upsetting the Old Firm.

"I'd like to think I've got that in my dressing room.

"I'm a realist as well and I keep my feet firmly on the ground."

Indeed, Hughes revealed he is ready to curb his attacking instincts by fielding a five-man defence at Ibrox.

He added: "We're going to the Scottish champions, we're going to their own back yard, 55,000, and I don't want any shrinking violets.

"I want my boys to go out there, express themselves, and go and see if they can take the game to them.

"If I'm to believe what all the media are saying - that Rangers are vulnerable - I'd just go and have a go.

"Nah. I have to have my football head on and make sure we keep in the game as long as we can."