Win or bust for Rangers as Tynecastle trip looms large

ByKheredine Idessane

BBC Sport Scotland

Danny Rohl vows he and his Rangers side will be "ready" to "show a reaction" when they visit league leaders Hearts on the 4 May bank holiday Monday - a match they simply cannot afford to lose if they are to retain hope of winning the title.

After Sunday's home loss to Motherwell, the Ibrox side are four points adrift of Derek McInnes's pacesetters, who could effectively rule Rangers out of contention with another home win.

While Rohl would say it's never over until it's over, he's happy to acknowledge the seismic nature of his imminent trip to the Scottish capital.

"We will be ready and we will show again a reaction and then we go again and then let's see which direction it goes," the German said after the 3-2 defeat by Well.

"My job is to lift the group. I will lift them, I will stand in front and lead them and then we go again. We showed in the last couple of weeks and months how strong we are growing as a group.

"There will be no negativity from my side after one game. We have to go forward. I'm strong enough and it's not over."

While Rohl's desire to banish any negativity is understandable, the elation in Edinburgh at the moment - at least around Gorgie – is palpable. Hearts have a very handy cushion over both of the big Glasgow teams, leading Celtic by three points and Rangers by four.

Defending champions Celtic could go level on points with Hearts if they follow the league leaders' example and beat Hibernian at Easter Road in next Sunday's noon kick-off. A point or all three for the men in maroon would keep them clear at the top with just three games left. Victory would surely eliminate Rangers from the running as well, at least according to former Tynecastle defender Allan Preston.

"Four games to go," Preston told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.

"Rangers to come a week on Monday. Hearts could put them out of the title race at Tynecastle, where they're unbeaten this season."

Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd told Sky Sports things are now distilling quite clearly for his former side.

"Rangers are under huge pressure to go to Tynecastle and win," said Boyd. "Rangers have to go there and win or it's done.

"Celtic will be sitting at home buzzing about that result at Ibrox. Hearts have found another way to go and win a game of football and ask questions of Glasgow's big two."

Rangers simply gave themselves too much to do against a Motherwell side who arguably played some of their best football of the season in a spell-binding first 45 minutes. Given Rohl made three half-time substitutions, it's also clear he may have picked the wrong team.

The introduction of Mikey Moore, James Tavernier and Mohamed Diomande for Bojan Miovski, Jayden Meghoma and Tochi Chukwuani made an instant difference and allowed Rangers to claw their way back into the match from two goals down.

Well's late winner, however, was no real surprise to former Hibs, Dundee United and Falkirk midfielder John Rankin, summarising for Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland.

"The energy for the Motherwell players to get forward and get themselves a third goal and the winner was incredible," said Rankin.

"What a game of football. Motherwell are, for me, a team of football players. It was two contrasting styles. Rangers - big, powerful athletes; Motherwell - smaller guys who can handle the ball and go and play, all of them very aware of what's around them but can handle a football."

Motherwell's ability was just too much for Rangers on the day as the Ibrox side, for the second match in a row, fell two goals behind and this time couldn't quite dig themselves out of the hole.

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So what prospect of a Rangers win at Tynecastle, given their entire season may now depend on it? They did put four past the long-time pacesetters the last time their paths crossed in mid-February.

As they did against Motherwell, Rangers got off to a slow start and trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before Youssef Chermiti levelled by the break on his way eventually to claiming a hat-trick and the match ball.

The pace and power of the Portugal Under-21 striker posed Hearts all sorts of problems and he's already proven he's the man for the big occasion with key goals in big games against Celtic too.

The second-half introduction of club captain James Tavernier also helped Rangers' momentum that day, as it did when he led the fightback against Motherwell, only for Emmanuel Longelo to ruin the departing Englishman's script.

The biggest problem Rangers face, though, is surely Hearts' record on their own ground. No visiting side has won a Premiership match at Tynecastle this season. The last team to do it were Dundee, exactly a year ago, 25 April 2025.

If that statistic is still intact after the upcoming bank holiday, Rangers' title chances will have suffered yet another blow and Hearts will justifiably feel they are just three games away from glory.