Rangers vs Hearts Prediction: Shaky Gers to stumble towards Scottish Cup Final

The second of this weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-finals comes from Hampden at 15:00 GMT as Rangers play Hearts at the national stadium. Gers arrive on a woeful run of form, hanging onto the season by their fingertips. Can they find their mojo and make it to the Scottish Cup Final?

Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse previews a crucial afternoon for the club as he offers us his best Rangers vs Hearts predictions for the match...

Rangers went three games without a win when stumbling to a goalless draw at Dens Park on Wednesday evening. They’re now three points behind league leaders Celtic after being two ahead just a few weeks ago. Pressure is mounting on Philippe Clement’s squad, with fans demanding a near-total summer clearout. But the players must dust themselves down in time for Sunday’s huge game against Hearts.

The Jambos travel to Glasgow and the national stadium with one thing on their minds: reaching the final of the Scottish Cup. They have almost certainly secured third place in the Premiership behind the Old Firm and hold a real chance to reach a final when playing a battered and bruised Rangers. A three-game unbeaten run means they arrive with confidence, and fans are dreaming of a return to Hampden.

Rangers vs Hearts Odds

Sunday will be the fifth meeting of Rangers and Hearts this season after the pair crossed paths in the Premiership and League Cup.

The head-to-head stats show Rangers have won all four previous games and boast an aggregate score of 11-2. They’ve also kept a clean sheet in each of their last two against Sunday’s opponents, winning 1-0 at Tynecastle and 5-0 at Ibrox. Fans would dearly love another timely and confidence-boosting win at 2/9.

Hearts know they’ve not covered themselves in glory against Rangers this season. Still, they will finish as the best of the rest behind the two Glasgow sides and have reason to be confident ahead of next season as they prepare to build on the great work done by manager Steven Naismith.

A Scottish Cup win would be the icing on the cake, but Betfred traders don’t expect the Edinburgh side to go through. A Hearts win is 17/2, with the draw available at 9/2 on the Betfred app and site.

Hearts to score first @ 3/1

Rangers have been caught napping in recent games, and they conceded within the opening 60 seconds of their home game against Celtic. Dundee also came agonisingly close to scoring first on Wednesday, and we aim to take advantage of that slow start, should it continue on Sunday at Hampden.

Hearts will expect a reaction from their opponents following a serious dip in form, but Naismith also knows scoring first and taking control of the fixture early is his team’s best chance of going through. The Rangers' defence looks fragile and had goalkeeper Jack Butland to thank for keeping a clean sheet at Dens Park. With that in mind, the 3/1 on Hearts to score first looks like a value play.

Sima to score anytime @ 6/5

On-loan Brighton attacker Abdallah Sima has been one of only a few outfield players to receive pass marks from fans in recent games. The towering striker has been performing far from his best, but he’s not long back from a lengthy injury, and we’re confident there’s more to come from Sima between now and the finish line.

He’ll enjoy plenty of space at the national stadium and can use his pace to run in behind the Hearts defence and create havoc. Sima found the net when Gers won 1-0 at Tynecastle in December and he looks worth a bet to score again on Sunday. Back him in the anytime scorer market as a single, or add Sima to your weekend accumulators.

Frank Monkhouse primarily covers Scottish Football for us here at Betfred Insights. You can check out all of his work along with that of the rest of our Football Betting Tips desk on our main Football page...