Hearts vs Rangers; Scottish Premiership
Hearts vs Rangers. Scottish Premiership.
TynecastleAttendance18,212.
Hearts vs Rangers preview: Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos still suspended
Follow updates on the Sky Sports app or watch live on Sky Sports Football from 11.30am on Saturday; Kick-off at 12pm
Saturday 20 April 2019 11:16, UK
Rangers remain without Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos due to suspension for Saturday's trip to Hearts, live on Sky Sports.
If Rangers fail to win on Saturday, then Celtic will be champions if they win at Hibernian on Sunday.
Steven Gerrard insists he has no new injury concerns and his entire squad is fit and available apart from his two key men, who were dismissed against Celtic in March.
Gerrard, whose team are 11 points off Ladbrokes Premiership leaders Celtic and were knocked out by Aberdeen in both of the domestic cups, said: "I think the players deserve a lot of credit considering where they were 12 months ago to where they are now.
"But the message to the players is quite clear, we need to continue to work hard and keep improving because there's still a way to go before we are ready to compete for real."
After featuring in the victory over Inverness, Hearts midfielder Peter Haring has suffered a recurrence of the groin injury that kept him out for a few weeks and is a major doubt.
Hearts remain without Aidan Keena, Steven Naismith, Ben Garuccio, Demetri Mitchell and Callumn Morrison due to long term knee problems.
Opta stats
- Hearts have lost each of their last six games against Rangers, their longest such run against them in the Scottish Premiership since nine consecutive defeats ending in December 2003.
- None of the last 14 Scottish Premiership meetings between Hearts and Rangers at Tyncastle Park have ended in a draw (five wins for Hearts and nine wins for Rangers), a run stretching back to November 2006.
- Hearts have lost just two of their last 18 Scottish Premiership matches that have been played at home on a Saturday (W11 D5 L2), however those two defeats have come in their last six such games (W3 D1 L2).
- Rangers have lost just one of their last 11 league games (W7 D3 L1), a 2-1 defeat against Celtic, keeping seven clean sheets in the process.
- Four of Scott Arfield's last five league goals for Rangers have come away from home, after his opening five goals of the season were all scored at Ibrox.