Hearts set for defining fixture against 'different type of Rangers team'

In a league where teams who finish in the top or bottom six play each other four times, Hearts know that they will face eight matches against the Glasgow big two. That's 24 points on the line where they will need to punch above their weight against opposition with far greater resources than their own.

The fact that Hearts have a six point lead at the top of the table and an 100 per cent record from three matches against the Old Firm thus far is huge testament to how far they have come under the leadership of Derek McInnes and the backing of Tony Bloom.

Celtic have been beaten home and away, while Rangers were turned over at Ibrox in September. Back then the Light Blues were in a far worse place under Russell Martin, who was sacked in October and replaced by Danny Rohl.

The German has steadied the ship, overseeing an eight-match unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership that has taken Rangers to within nine points of leaders Hearts, with a game in hand.

McInnes expects a different Rangers from the one his side faced three months ago.

"You've got to be impressed with the job Danny Rohl's done," the Jambos boss said. "He's come in and been really pragmatic, slightly coming away from the more possession-based approach under Russell. I think domestically he's made some good progress in terms of results.

"I watched the game against Hibs and while it was pretty even and quite open at times in the first half, once Rangers scored I thought they were pretty secure with their work. They never really put the game at risk too much, so considering when he came in and the results that have improved, he deserves a lot of credit for that.

"It's a different type of Rangers team but there's still a lot of good players and regardless of systems and approaches, managers, when you actually look at the Rangers team, there's still a lot of talent in there. They spend millions and pay thousands of pounds a week to put a squad together and you can still see they've got some good talented players there."

As league leaders hosting the side in third, there is an expectancy on Hearts that does not often come with a match against Rangers, so much so that they are favourites to win at the bookmakers.  

McInnes, however, as a former Ranger player, knows the expectation will work both ways.

"It's two big clubs with demands," he said. "I'm sure every Hearts team that plays Rangers at Tynecastle there would be the demand to win and likewise with Rangers, the demand is clearly on them as a club to win home and away.

"I think there's huge expectation for the game, there's a lot of expectation on us from our fans, which is fine, but we put that same expectation on ourselves that if we turn up and do our work well we can hopefully get a result.

"Obviously this week is a wee bit longer week again, Saturday into Sunday but the game can't come round quick enough. I think the fact it's the last weekend before Christmas, it's a good schedule for us in terms of high-profile games.

"We've had a lot of that recently, TV games and the like. Hearts-Rangers is always a big deal regardless of where both teams are in the league and I think it's a game that the supporters will be looking forward to. But they're not looking forward to it any more than we are as a team and as a staff. We're all looking forward to getting that ball rolling and getting to work."