Hearts face Rangers in a crucial Scottish Premiership match that could impact the title race. With only four games left, Hearts hold a four-point lead over Rangers.
Key points
Hearts host Rangers in a crucial match
Hearts lead the league with a four-point advantage
Only four games remain in the season
The title race could be impacted significantly
Danny Röhl emphasizes the importance of the match
Mentioned in this story
Danny Röhl
HeartsRangersScottish Premiership
Come Monday night, the Scottish Premiershipâs three-horse title race could lose a horse.
Or all three teams could be separated by just a single point. That's the jeopardy of the split, and that's why we all love it.
Perhaps we've all forgotten about that label since they've led for so long, or maybe the consistent level of performance that has kept them at the summit.
Q&A
What is at stake in the Hearts vs Rangers match?
The match is critical for the title race, as a loss for Hearts could significantly narrow their lead over Rangers.
How many games are left in the Scottish Premiership season?
There are four games remaining in the Scottish Premiership season.
What is the current title race situation in the Scottish Premiership?
Hearts lead the league with a four-point advantage over Rangers, who are in third place.
Who is Danny Röhl and what does he say about the match?
Danny Röhl is the manager of Rangers, and he acknowledges that the match against Hearts is crucial for their title hopes.
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Either way, Hearts are in uncharted territory.
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EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - APRIL 03: Head coach Derek McInnes during a Heart of Midlothian training session at the Oriam, on April 03, 2026, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)
Hearts head coach Derek McInnes on his PFA Scotland award nomination, fitness updates on Harry Milne and Cammy Devlin, plus the title race ahead of facing Rangers on Monday - live on Sky Sports.
"We go into these games normally as an underdog and I think that we have always been an underdog this season with real belief, genuine belief," McInnes told Sky Sports News.
"We've played with a confidence and a belief that we can win the game. Even last week, or any of the derby games we've played, we've always tried to go to the wire to try and win games with a lot of late winners.
"The games against Rangers and Celtic have been a good reference for me getting into these games because we're going to have to lean on everything.
"But I think when it comes to this stage of the season, you just try to find that winning performance because winning brings so much to it and defeats can be quite damaging, and there's not a lot of room for error.
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Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland
Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland speaks to Sky Sports News about their title hopes and being nominated for PFA Scotland Scottish Premiership player of the year, a title he won in 2024.
"Our record has been really strong, and I think it's down to the determination of the team.
"I think we've used Tynecastle brilliantly this season, it's exactly how I wanted it to be and how I hoped it would be this season for our team.
"We want to make it as hostile and as loud as possible and try to get every little advantage going.
"Rangers have got huge advantages over us in terms of what they spend, and for us to even be in the same conversation, it shows you the effort from everybody, and the fans have got a part to play on Monday as well."
Röhl: Hearts trip like a 'cup final'
When Röhl spoke to Sky Sports News ahead of facing managerless St Mirren in March, he declared the next fixture as the first of "nine cup finals".
He referenced these "cup finals" after every intervening victory, ticking each game off one-by-one before Motherwell handed him just his second league defeat since taking the job last October.
Crucially, that loss took the title out of Rangers' hands, who had previously won four in a row and scored 15 goals in the process.
Defeat on Monday though, and those three remaining "cup finals" could fold into placing matches.
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Rangers head coach Danny Röhl admits Monday's trip to Hearts is "huge" for his side's hopes in the Premiership title race.
"It's a big game ahead of us. I think everyone is looking forward to this game, not just the supporters, us as well," Röhl told Sky Sports News.
"We face the leader of the table and we want to take points. We have four games to go, I think this is important to understand.
"It is a huge one, if we won, maybe it's the final final? But after the final final comes the next final final, and this is until the end.
"It makes no sense to value one game bigger than the other one.
"We have to face a strong opponent, I think they're doing well over the whole season, but we want to face them, we want to take something, and then after this game we have the next final final."
Arithmetically, no. But it's a tall order from seven points back.
Since Hearts claimed top spot on September 27, Rangers have been the only side capable of temporarily knocking them off - albeit for fewer than 24 hours.
A win for the Jambos is more than just another three points. It narrows the focus and almost makes it a straight shoot-out between them and second place Celtic - who they visit on the final day.
However, McInnes won't count out Rangers just yet.
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Boyd
Kris Boyd discusses the Scottish Premiership run-in after Hearts beat derby rivals Hibs and Rangers dropped points at Motherwell.
"Every team is in with a chance of the title. I still see it as they're well in it and everybody can deal with their own business," he added.
"So that makes it even more exciting. It's a game that we feel we've got a good enough record in, but hopefully a good enough one on the night to win the game.
"I don't know how Rangers would view it. For me, I think everybody will look at it and think they're still in a strong position.
"Obviously, we're few points clear, but that can quickly change. It was a good weekend for us last weekend, but we're well aware that it could be easily us on the wrong side at this weekend, and then all of a sudden, there's a bit more optimism with the other teams.
"So from my point of view, and I don't know how other teams are thinking, but I think everybody will feel they've got the performances in them to win a league at this stage.
"So we just need to concentrate on ourselves, I'm not really thinking too much about what the opposition are thinking.
"It's just about us trying to concentrate on the performance and hopefully it's good enough on Monday to win the game."
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Claudio Braga
Hearts forward Claudio Braga tells Sky Sports News how the squad is feeling about their title hopes. He is one of four nominees for PFA Scotland Premiership player of the year.
Röhl: Tynecastle a difficult environment
Hearts remain unbeaten at home in the league and have inflicted defeats on both Old Firm sides at Tynecastle this season.
In fact, before last weekend's loss to Motherwell at Ibrox, Röhl's side hadn't been beaten since they were bested at the home of the leaders in December.
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rangrs
Highlights from the Scottish Premiership match between Hearts and Rangers.
With almost 20,000 expectant Jambos filling those steep terraces, Colin Chisholm set to belt out another goosebump-raising rendition of 'The Hearts Song', and McInnes calling on a "hostile" atmosphere, Röhl understands how tough a venue this is.
"Yeah, I think it's a difficult environment," he added.
"They're doing really well, they're making the basics right, there's not so much net gametime in the game, a lot of start-stops, I think we have to handle this.
"We will face a lot of second balls, throw-ins, set-plays, I think it's very important that we have a strong referee performance as well on the pitch.
"There will be a lot of duels, 50-50 situations, and this is crucial as well. Then we want to bring our style of football, our intensity on the pitch, and they want to bring their style on the pitch, and then we will see who is better on this day."
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Rangers Mikey Moore is nominated for PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year
PFA Young Player of the Year nominee Mikey Moore assesses Rangers' Scottish Premiership title hopes after defeat to Motherwell dropped them to third.
Team news
McInnes is "hopeful" that at least one, or maybe both, of Cammy Devlin and Harry Milne will return in time.
Tuur Rommens returned to Rangers training on Thursday, and Ryan Naderi has made "huge steps" in his recovery, but John Souttar has a "small issue".
