Rangers v Hearts: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Rangers are rocked to find themselves a distant third in the Scottish Premiership standings, entering the weekend nine points behind both Celtic and Aberdeen.

It could be increased to a dozen by the time the Light Blues run out at Ibrox on Sunday evening to face struggling Hearts and Philippe Clement will know that irrespective of what the top pair do, three points here are essential.

The Belgian will be enthused by a perfect league record of five wins in five at the Govan venue.

Rangers v Hearts betting tips and predictions

Rangers to win to nil @ 6/4

Successive wins over St Mirren and Omonia Nicosia saw Hearts benefitting from a touch of the 'new manager bounce' last month, but it hasn't really manifested any serious improvement in a misfiring Jambos squad.

They beat St Johnstone - the side above them in third-from-bottom - last weekend, but were 2-0 losers at home to Heidenheim in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday.

They have two wins in 13 domestic games and a trip to Ibrox is hardly a remedy. Gers, for all their own troubles, have maximum points in Govan from five league games, with clean sheets in three of them.

Hearts have lost five of their last seven visits to Ibrox, four of them without scoring. It could be more of the same this time around.

James Tavernier anytime goalscorer @ 2/1

Skipper James Tavernier hasn't been immune to criticism from the Gers support in recent weeks as his performances have seemingly dipped.

He was withdrawn last Sunday in the League Cup semi-final win over Motherwell at Hampden Park and then was benched in Greece on Thursday for the UEFA Europa League draw with Olympiacos, but he should find himself back in the starting XI here.

Tavernier has gone 10 games without a goal, quite a stretch by his standards. He found the net in a 2-1 over Hearts here last October, scoring from the spot before providing an assist as Danilo won the game for the Gers in a dramatic late turnaround.

With his dead-ball prowess from both free-kicks and penalties and the belief that the hosts will bully this struggling Hearts side, Tavernier should find himself in plenty of advanced positions and can end his goal drought.

Malachi Boateng to be booked @ 21/10

Hearts signed midfielder Malachi Boateng from Dundee in the summer and he's established himself in one of the holding roles for the Jambos.

The 22-year-old is yet to get a caution for his Edinburgh employers, but he was in the book five times last season for Dundee, the same number he collected in one season with Queen's Park, having accumulated nine in just 20 appearances in his final season as a Crystal Palace U23 player.

With 10 fouls in his last five Scottish Premiership games, he does appear to be closing in on a caution.

This will be his first taste of Ibrox as a Hearts player and a feisty atmosphere could be a contributing factor in a game where the visitors will be chasing possession more often than not.

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Rangers v Hearts odds

Rangers - 2/5
Draw - 7/2
Hearts - 13/2

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.