HEARTS and Rangers is one of the juiciest fixtures in the league and both sides will be hoping the international break has revitalised them after sluggish campaigns.
Both teams have struggled in the league and Europe to varying degrees although they both managed to get back to winning ways before the breaks after terrible runs.
Hearts are having to combine a busy league schedule with six games in the Europa Conference League group stages and the early evidence was it was a struggle for them.
Robbie Neilson's men were on a dreadful run of just one win in seven in all competitions before hard-fought wins in Latvia against RFS and a victory at Motherwell which was more flattering than the 3-0 scoreline suggests.
Rangers appeared to be a club in turmoil after back-to-back 4-0 defeats to Celtic and Ajax was followed by a 3-0 home defeat by Napoli.
Their 2-1 home win over Dundee United was nervy and far from pretty, but the only thing that mattered was the points.
They were given a title lifeline by Celtic's surprise 2-0 defeat at St Mirren and will actually go above the champions with a win in Gorgie temporarily at least.
How the bookies view it
Rangers are odds-on across the board at a general 3/4, although you can squeeze a 14/19 with SBK.
Hearts can be backed at 7/2 with bet365, while the draw is 3/1 with McBookie.com.
Recent head to heads
Rangers won the Scottish Cup Final between the teams in May and won both of their trips to Tynecastle last season.
Players to watch
Lawrence Shankland has been a fine addition to Hearts this season and has hit the ground running with six goals in 12 appearances including two in his last two games. He also takes the penalties for Hearts and is an enticing 43/20 with UniBet to score on Saturday.
It's unlikely Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be able to drop Antonio Colak in favour of Alfredo Morelos after the Croatian's double against Dundee United. He is 6/5 to score in the capital with McBookie.com.
Anything else catch the eye?
It's hard to trust Rangers at odds-on at a ground that has historically given them plenty of trouble over the years. Defensively both teams look vulnerable and there should be goals in Gorgie.
The call is for both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at a solid 20/21 with Boylesports.
This fixture usually has plenty of bite to it – last season's corresponding fixture saw nine yellow cards and a red, so Steven McLean should have his work cut out. UniBet's 49/50 for over 4.5 cards looks a good shout.
This Scottish Premiership match between Hearts and Rangers will be played on Oct 1, 2022 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Hearts vs Rangers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
