The Scottish Premiership's second and third-placed sides will meet on Wednesday when Hearts host Rangers at Tynecastle Park.

The hosts are third in the standings with 19 points, four points behind the second-placed visitors.

Match preview

Hearts manager Wouter Vrancken, appointed during the summer following Derek McInnes' departure, endured a challenging start to life at Tynecastle Park, losing all of his first four games at the helm. 

However, the manager has superbly turned Hearts' fortunes around in the subsequent weeks, recording eight wins, five draws and suffering just three defeats in their last 16 outings. 

Six of those triumphs have come in the Scottish Premiership, helping lift Hearts to third in the standings with 19 points after 10 matches, leaving them four points clear of fourth-placed Dundee United and four behind second-placed Rangers. 

The Jambos' attacking output has undoubtedly been their biggest strength in the league this term, with 22 goals scored in 10 matches meaning they are the second-highest scorers in the Scottish Premiership - only behind Celtic (25). 

Hearts' defence has also been a strength throughout a majority of the campaign, conceding eight goals in nine Scottish Premiership matches, although they did suffer a humiliating 7-1 defeat to Celtic on matchday nine, leaving them with a record of 15 conceded in 10 league fixtures.

Vrancken's side followed that loss with a 2-0 defeat to Trabzonspor in the Conference League, but they managed to bounce back with a 2-0 triumph over Motherwell at the weekend, giving them a much-needed boost ahead of facing the high-flying Rangers. 

Rangers head into Wednesday's fixture enjoying a superb nine-game undefeated run across all competitions, featuring eight victories and only one draw during that time. 

The Gers actually endured a lacklustre start to the term under former Hearts boss McInnes, failing to win any of their opening four games across all competitions. 

However, a 5-1 victory over St Mirren in the League Cup second round sparked a considerable upturn in form, with Rangers having won nine, drawn one and lost one of the next 11 matches.

Thanks to that stunning form, Rangers have climbed to second in the Scottish Premiership and trail leaders Celtic by just four points, and McInnes will be eager to stay on their Old Firm rivals' heels by securing another three points on Wednesday. 

The Gers will rely on their defensive strength to shutout Heats' prolific attack, with Rangers conceding just seven league goals, while their record of 17 scored in 10 matches is only bettered by Hearts and Celtic. 

Rangers will also draw confidence from their unbeaten away record in the league, winning three and drawing two of their five matches on the road in the Scottish Premiership.

Hearts have, however, won each of the last two clashes between these two teams at Tynecastle Park.

Hearts Scottish Premiership form:

Hearts form (all competitions):

Rangers Scottish Premiership form:

Rangers form (all competitions):

Team News

Hearts are contending with several injury issues in this match, with Blair Spittal, Christian Borchgrevink, Craig Halkett, Harry Milne, Oisin McEntee, Stuart Findlay, Ageu and Tom Renaud all unavailable.

James Wilson, Claudio Braga, Josh McPake and Calvin Miller have contributed heavily to Hearts' impressive attacking output, and they should all start on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Rangers are set to be without former Hearts duo Lawrence Shankland and Cameron Devlin, while Daisuke Yokota, Jose Cifuentes, Ross McCrorie and Youssef Chermiti are also unavailable. 

Ryan Don Naderi has scored five goals in nine league matches this term, and the forward should continue his partnership with Kevin Kelsy, who has three goals in six league games, on Wednesday.

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Reus; Mato, Fagan-Walcott, McCart, Kingsley; Miller, Magnusson, Altena, McPake; Wilson, Braga

Rangers possible starting lineup:

Pandur; Sterling, Fernandez, Makhanya, Penrice; Raskin, Neil; Bouanani, Naderi, Kim; Kelsy

We say: Hearts 1-2 Rangers

Rangers are enjoying a fantastic run heading into this match, and while Hearts are flawless at home this term with four league wins, the visitors should have enough to secure the win.

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