MY ACCOUNT
– Second meets third in Scotland
– Rangers won last meeting 1-0 in November
– Recommended bet: Tie/Rangers in Half Time/Full Time
Rangers edged past Hearts 1-0 at Ibrox in their most recent Scottish Premiership meeting in November and they face a tough trip to Tynecastle to take on a confident Jambos side on Wednesday.
The loss in Glasgow was Hearts’ only defeat in their last 12 league matches and that run has helped them take charge of the race for third place behind the Old Firm duo.
The Gers have nine points to make up on runaway leaders Celtic at the top so cannot afford any more slip-ups in the league this term but they are also in fine form, winning their last four away matches in the Scottish top flight.
Team news
Hearts trio Craig Gordon, Liam Boyce and Beni Baningime are sidelined and Cammy Devlin came off injured in the first half of Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Livingston.
Jorge Grant could replace Devlin in midfield and striker Lawrence Shankland will be looking to add to his tally of 20 goals this season.
Rangers were without Steven Davis, Filip Helander, Tom Lawrence and Ridvan Yilmaz for the weekend win over St Johnstone but Ianis Hagi was fit enough to come on for the final 20 minutes and midfielder Todd Cantwell made his first start after signing from Norwich.
The stats
Hearts lost 4-0 to Rangers in their first meeting of the season but they go into Wednesday’s clash in great shape, unbeaten in nine league matches and having won their last three home games to nil.
The hosts have been starting games strongly, conceding only two first-half goals in their last 11 league fixtures. They have a first-half goal difference of plus 12 this season but it is minus one in the second half.
Rangers have been drawing at half-time in five of their last 10 Premiership victories, including November’s home win over Hearts in which Malik Tillman scored the only goal of the game in the 66th minute.
The Gers have won four matches by a 4-0 scoreline in the league this term, also racking up three 3-2 victories.
The Glasgow giants have won seven of their last eight league games, with the only exception being a 2-2 draw with rivals Celtic in their first fixture of 2023.
Prediction
Hearts have put together an impressive unbeaten run since their defeat at Ibrox, although there is still a gulf between the third-best team in the Premiership and the ever-dominant top two.
The Jambos have lost all four of their league meetings with Rangers and Celtic this season and their fine run may come to an end against Rangers on Wednesday evening.
It should be a competitive contest, however, as Hearts have not conceded a first-half goal in any of their last six home league games.
Their defensive standards tend to drop after the break and 22 of the 31 goals they have let in this term have come in the second half so if Rangers remain patient they should create chances as the game goes on.
The tie-Rangers selection in the Half Time/Full Time market was a winning bet at Ibrox in November and it could land again in this week’s rematch.
Back Tie/Rangers Half Time/Full Time, available at 10/3 with LiveScore Bet.
