Hearts vs Rangers Prediction and Betting Tips: Best bets for Scottish Premiership opener

Tynecastle Stadium hosts the first game of the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership season as last season’s runners-up Rangers visit the bronze medalists Hearts in Saturday’s curtain raiser, which will kick-off at 12:30 BST and televised on Sky Sports Main Event.

Rangers lost the title by eight points to arch-rivals Celtic last season, but they were 17 points clear of Saturday’s opponents in third and will be hoping to get the season up and running with a win in the Scottish capital.

Hearts have lost all three of their pre-season friendlies, but they were impressive under Steven Naismith last season and are yet to lose a competitive home game in 2024, although Rangers were the last side to beat them at Tynecastle.

The final day of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership season saw these two play out a 3-3 thriller at Tynecastle, but odds-on favourites Rangers should be able to take all three points this time around.

That draw in Edinburgh made it 15 games unbeaten against Hearts for The Gers, and 12 of those have ended in victory for the Glaswegians.

This includes an impressive six competitive meetings between the sides last season alone, with Philippe Clement’s side winning five of those and scoring 16 times in the process.

A clean sheet may be beyond the visitors, though. The three they conceded in the final Premiership game of last season made it nine goals shipped in their final five league games and they have conceded ten goals across their four pre-season friendlies, leaving them without a clean sheet in ten attempts.

Hearts notched eight times in their last three games last term and can get on the scoresheet in defeat on Saturday.

Hearts may be underdogs, but star-striker Lawrence Shankland should still be a danger for The Maroons and he has the capability to punish what proved to be a leaky Rangers back line towards the end of last season.

Shankland finished as top scorer in last season’s Scottish Premiership, leading the way with 24 goals compared to second-placed Matt O’Riley on 18.

Half of these came at Tynecastle, taking his tally to 28 league goals in his last 38 appearances, and he is no stranger to finding the net against Rangers.

The 28-year-old scored the opening goal in their 3-3 draw on the final day of last season and has scored four of Hearts’ last seven goals against The Gers.

Shankland has scored 24 goals in his last two league campaigns with Hearts and will be looking to get off on the right foot on Saturday afternoon.