Hearts v Rangers
Sunday 20th October 1215hrs
Football – Scotland – Premiership
Pick Rangers -1
Bookmaker Sportingbet
Odds: 8/11 odds taken 1800 GMT, Friday 18 October)
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 133/20 | 41/10 | 19/50 |
* (Betting Odds were taken from 22Bet on October 18, 2019 at 18.00)
Leaders Rangers travel to Tynecastle to face a Hearts team who have struggled for much of the season. This is usually a difficult fixture for Rangers but they will be confident of getting a victory in the current circumstances.
Scottish Premiership Betting at Sportingbet
Hearts Preview – Will Hearts turn their season around with what would be a huge shock against the current league leaders?
The international break could well have came at just the right time for Hearts who turned in a couple of poor performances in the league directly before it. In a season which has been disappointing in the main and well below the expectation of all concerned with the club, the major bright spot was the derby victory against Hibs at the end of September. That, coupled with making it through to the semi-finals of the League Cup was expected to see an upturn in fortunes for Craig Levein and his team. A goalless draw at St Mirren and then a 1-0 defeat at home to Kilmarnock was a crash back down to earth and heaped the pressured back on Levein.
Traditionally Hearts are very strong at home but this calendar year has been abysmal. The last time Hearts won a game at home was way back at the end of March. Since then they have lost six and drawn once. In 2019 it’s only two league victories in 12 attempts which is simply not good enough. The supporters have taken to protesting before and after games whilst the atmosphere during them has been pointless. If they go behind early in this one it could see the fans turn against the team.
Rangers Preview – Can Rangers deal with the pressure of being top and continue what has been an impressive run of form?
September started badly for Rangers as they lost the Glasgow derby to Celtic but their response was very good. Steven Gerrard won the Premiership manager of the month whilst Alfredo Morelos took the player award for September. That is an indication of how well they done to put the loss and performance against Celtic behind them. The Ibrox club went on to win their next four matches scoring 17 goals and conceding only one in that run. The latest success – a 5-0 home win over Hamilton – seen them go top of the table for the first time since last December as rivals Celtic dropped five points in two games.
Rangers flirted with top spot on a number of occasions last season but they were never able to sustain it for more than a week. The mentality when chasing is completely different compared to when top and Gerrard will be hoping his team have matured. There’s plenty of experience throughout the squad now and they will be important in this game and the months ahead. With Celtic playing on Saturday and the gap between the two just a couple of points, it could be Rangers are in second spot and having to win to return to top.
Key-Facts – Hearts v Rangers
- Hearts only league victory this season remains the derby success against Hibs and they are just two points off bottom.
- Rangers moved to the top of the table in the game before the international break following their fourth straight league win
- The Ibrox club have won on their last three visits to Tynecastle and will be confident of making that four in their current form
Hearts v Rangers Betting Advice
The atmosphere at Tynecastle is widely regarded as being the best in Scottish football but that has been absent this season because of the struggles of the Hearts’ team. The fans will begin the game supporting their team but that could well change if they are unable to compete with Rangers. For the visitors it’s all about attempting to continue with their excellent recent form. The form of Morelos at the moment will mean they have every chance of doing that and he has an able deputy in Jermaine Defoe. Hearts will have to defend far better than they have managed if they are to come close to getting a result here.
Rangers have won on their last three visits to Tynecastle having gone four games without a win here. The likely outcome going by current form is a comfortable win for Rangers and extend that run to four. Their last four victories have been by at least two goals which makes Rangers -1 on the handicap very appealing.
