Hearts Vs Rangers Betting Tips & Preview
There is no doubting the game of the weekend in the Scottish Premiership as leaders Hearts welcome a much-improved Rangers to Tynecastle on Sunday.
After a run of one win in six matches, Hearts have re-tightened their grip at the top of the standings after beating nearest challengers Celtic earlier this month, while they backed that up with last weekend's win at Falkirk.
The Jambos are six points clear of Celtic heading into the weekend, with Rangers a further three points back in third.
But the Light Blues have found their feet under Danny Rohl and are unbeaten in 11 league matches since losing to the Jambos at Ibrox more than three months ago.
Hearts vs Rangers Betting Tips
- Draw @ 23/10
- Claudio Braga to score anytime @ 15/8
- Both teams to score @ 3/4
Team news
Hearts head coach Derek McInnes is hopeful Beni Baningime and Calem Nieuwenhof will be available for Sunday's match after both returned to training this week – but the contest will come too soon for Eduardo Ageu and Finlay Pollock.
Bojan Miovski remains an injury concern for Rangers and may miss out for the second game in a row as a result.
Nedim Bajrami, John Souttar, Oliver Antman and Derek Cornelius are among Rangers’ other fitness absentees, while Nasser Djiga has linked up with Burkina Faso for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Tip 1: Draw @ 23/10
Hearts are the Premiership's only unbeaten team on home turf, while Rangers are yet to taste defeat in the league on their travels – both impressive records that may remain intact come Sunday's final whistle.
The hosts’ last home defeat came against Dundee in April but they have drawn their last two Tynecastle tussles, with Dundee United and an out-of-form Kilmarnock respectively.
Draws have also been a theme of Rangers' season, with half of their 16 league fixtures to date finishing all square, most recently a 2-2 share with the Terrors at the start of the month.
A point would be a good result for Hearts and would extend their unbeaten record against the Old Firm this season to four matches and, while Rangers realistically need to win to ignite their own title challenge, a draw would arguably be another step in the right direction after their slow start to the campaign.
Tip 2: Claudio Braga to score anytime @ 15/8
Claudio Braga is one of the many players who have caught the eye since joining Hearts over the summer and the Portuguese forward heads into the weekend's action as the Premiership's joint-leading scorer on eight goals, alongside team-mate Lawrence Shankland and Motherwell's Tawanda Maswanhise.
Braga has, more often than not, been the man for the big occasions, producing four goal involvements in three appearances against the Old Firm this season including providing an assist in September's 2-0 win at Rangers.
A scorer in his last two games against Celtic and Falkirk, Braga could step up to the plate once more in this mouthwatering encounter.
Tip 3: Both teams to score @ ¾
Hearts are the leading scorers in this season's Premiership, netting 34 across their 17 games, while they are yet to draw a blank in 10 home matches across all competitions.
Better on the road than on their own patch, 14 of Rangers' 23 league goals have been struck on their travels and they have netted in all eight of those away games.
With so much at stake these games can often become tight and tetchy but, given both sides’ records, this matchup can buck that trend.
Hearts vs Rangers Betting Tips
- Draw @ 23/10
- Claudio Braga to score at any time @ 15/8
- Both teams to score @ 3/4
Match Odds
- Hearts - 23/20
- Draw - 23/10
- Rangers - 47/20
