Preview: Rangers vs Hearts - prediction, team news, lineups

The Scottish Premiership's first and second-placed sides come head-to-head on Sunday when Rangers welcome Hearts to Ibrox.

The Gers are second in the table with 52 points from 26 outings, while the Jambos are top of the standings with 57 points from 26 fixtures.

Match preview

Rangers' 2025-26 campaign so far can be split into two distinctly different phases, with the Gers struggling at the beginning of the season before starting to put together a title challenge in recent weeks.

Under Russell Martin's guidance, Rangers managed a miserable one win from their opening eight league matches, alongside six draws and one defeat, while they were also eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers.

Martin was dismissed during that lacklustre run, with Danny Rohl subsequently appointed, and after an initial struggle, Rangers have been vastly improved under the German.

Rohl won just two of his first five games at the helm, suffering three defeats, but Rangers subsequently lost only three of their next 22 fixtures across all competitions, with 14 triumphs and five draws.

The Gers have been particularly impressive in the Scottish Premiership since Rohl's arrival, rapidly climbing the table thanks to nine wins, two draws and only one defeat in 12 league fixtures.

Consequently, Rangers have risen to second in the standings with 52 points, leaving them just five points behind leaders Hearts, giving the Gers the chance to close the gap to only two points with a win on Sunday.

On the other hand, Hearts could provide their title bid with a significant boost by claiming all three points on Sunday, as a win would extend their cushion to eight points.

Hearts' form has, however, become slightly inconsistent in recent matches, with Derek McInnes' men winning only two of their last five games across all competitions, alongside one defeat and two draws (including going on to lose on penalties to Falkirk).

That marks a potentially worrying downturn from the remarkable run of 19 wins, two defeats and six draws in their prior 27 fixtures across all competitions.

The Jambos will be boosted following a dramatic 1-0 win over Hibernian earlier in the week, with Tomas Magnusson netting an 88th-minute winner to seal three points.

Furthermore, Hearts will look to draw confidence from their away record this term, with no team in the Scottish Premiership accumulating more than their 26 points on the road, with eight wins, two draws and three defeats.

McInnes' men were also triumphant the last time they visited the Ibrox, when a Lawrence Shankland brace secured a 2-0 victory in September 2025.

Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

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Rangers form (all competitions):

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Hearts Scottish Premiership form:

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Hearts form (all competitions):

W D D W L W

Team News

Rangers are anticipated to be without Bailey Rice, Connor Barron, Derek Cornelius and Max Aarons due to injury issues.

After a disappointing performance in the 1-1 draw to Motherwell last time out, Youssef Chermiti could be benched in favour of Bojan Miovski, while the rest of the team may remain the same.

Meanwhile, Hearts are unable to call upon Calem Nieuwenhof, Cameron Devlin, Finlay Pollock, Shankland and Stephen Kingsley due to injury problems.

After arriving from the bench to score the late winner in the victory over Hibernian, Magnusson could be awarded with a starting place on Sunday.

As a result, Beni Baningime could drop to the bench, while the rest of the side is likely to remain unchanged.

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Djiga, Meghoma; Raskin, Chukwuani; Gassama, Diomande, Moore; Miovski

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Schwolow; McEntee, Kent, Findlay, Milne; Leonard, Magnusson; Chesnokov, Braga, Kyziridis; Kabore

We say: Rangers 2-2 Hearts

Rangers and Hearts will both be eager to pick up what could prove to be a pivotal three points in the ongoing race for the Scottish Premiership title.

Although the Gers are in stronger form, the Jambos are the best side in the league on the road, leading us to expect a hard-fought encounter that ends all square.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.