- Danny Rohl’s men travel to Tynecastle tomorrow in must-win clash
- Rangers will go within a point of Premiership summit with victory
- Hearts have threats that are capable of consigning Gers to defeat
Rangers travel to Hearts tomorrow knowing that winning is all that matters in a do-or-die clash under the lights at Tynecastle.
A win for Rangers will maintain their title charge as they will go a point behind the league leaders with three games remaining.
However, a defeat will do the opposite.
Lose and Danny Rohl’s men will be seven points adrift and will return to Govan with their title hopes in tatters.
And Derek McInnes certainly possess the players who will be aiming to leave it all on the park and ensure that is the case.
Lawrence Shankland
The club captain has scored 13 goals for the Jambos this season with three of them coming against Rangers.
Shankland endured a lengthy spell on the sidelines at the beginning of the year and only returned in their 1-0 victory over Dundee at the end of March.
Since then, the striker has scored two goals and provided one assist in his last three matches and is returning to form at the perfect time for Hearts.
The 30-year-old has spoken about how he wants to remove Rangers from title contention and he will certainly be true to his word.
Claudio Braga
Another player who knows what it takes to bypass Rangers’ defence is Braga who has proven to be a shrewd signing from McInnes since his move from Aalesund in Norway last summer.
The Portuguese scored the second goal for Hearts in the last game at Ibrox and assisted both of Shankland’s goals in the September and December victories.
Not only has the 26-year-old developed a relationship with Shankland on the pitch but he is the Jambos’ top goalscorer with 14 goals, the latest against Motherwell in the last pre-split game.
It would not be a surprise to see McInnes opt to start the pair tomorrow evening as he has done in the last three matches.
Alexandros Kyziridis
Another member of Hearts’ forward department, Kyziridis has notched the most assists for Hearts this season, tied on Harry Milne with six.
The 25-year-old has cemented himself as a regular having featured in the Tynecastle club’s last 11 matches.
One of the Greek’s last assists was in their home victory over Rangers before Christmas.
Therefore, he is a threat for the Gers in the sense that he can send dangerous crosses into the box and could do so again.
Read Rangers Analysis
Rangers travel to Hearts knowing the threat that each of these three men possess having fallen victim to it themselves.
There is a lot riding on Rangers winning this match, it is not just their title aspirations on the line but preserving history.
Hearts will be seeking to exploit and punish any sign of weakness and they have the tools to do just that.
