Chermiti has cut a frustrating figure for Rangers this season as he has struggled to live up to his big-money price tag for long periods before flashing into life in the biggest games of the season. The former Everton striker has 12 goals in the league this term, 4 of which came via a couple of braces against Celtic and 3 more of which were scored against Hearts when these sides last met.

No Rangers player has managed more shots on target than the 21-year-old in league play this term, and his price to score looks particularly healthy given he has 1.73 shots on target per 90. Indeed, this is the best figure in the whole of the Premiership by quite a distance.

His shooting stats have been particularly good in recent games as he has chalked up 3 shots on target in each of his last 3 outings. He has at least 2 shots on target – available at 2.75 – in 6 of his last 9 appearances. On top of this, he has 3 goals, surely guaranteeing him a start as Rangers’ in-form striker and making him a strong candidate to get on the scoresheet again.

Craig Halkett has long been a physical presence at the heart of Hearts’ defence, and Monday’s clash against Rangers looks tailor-made for another no-nonsense display. 

The centre-half has averaged 1.13 fouls per 90 in the Scottish Premiership this season, but his disciplinary profile becomes particularly pronounced in high-intensity fixtures. With 9 yellow cards to his name already, Halkett has shown a clear tendency to cross the line when pressed relentlessly by mobile forward lines.

Rangers attackers have won a combined 3.2 fouls per 90 across their last five away matches, meaning Halkett will be routinely dragged into one-on-one battles where timing is everything. 

Recent form only strengthens the angle. Halkett has been booked in two of his last five starts, with Monday’s fixture carrying significant implications for the title race, and with a referee who has shown 4.2 cards per game on average this term, backing Halkett to feature in the book feels like a good angle for this leg of our longshot.

Nicolas Raskin has often walked a disciplinary tightrope for Rangers this season, and his combative style could be central to the midfield battle once again. The Belgian has committed 2.09 fouls per 90 and picked up 7 yellow cards in the league, a total that highlights his aggressive approach .Notably, in the most recent head-to-head meeting, he committed 2+ fouls, underlining a trend that tends to emerge in the most physical fixtures. 

No Rangers midfielder has walked the line quite like the 25-year-old, and his foul lines look particularly healthy given the threat posed by the opposition. Hearts’ key midfield operator in Claudio Braga averages 1.67 fouls won per 90, suggesting Raskin will have ample opportunity to engage in the sort of scrappy duels that often result in a whistle. Indeed, across the Scottish Premiership this term, his willingness to contest loose balls has made him a regular feature in the referee's book. 

His recent run of form further bolsters the case. Raskin has committed at least 2 fouls in six of his last nine appearances. Given the intensity of the occasion and the specific matchup in the middle of the park, backing him to make his presence felt is a strong angle.

While you might expect a match with so much on the line to be a tight and tense affair, there is nothing about Rangers’ recent performances that suggests that this will be a low-scoring encounter.

Across the last 8 league matches that Danny Rohl’s side have played, there have been a staggering 36 goals. These fixtures have averaged 4.5 goals per game and only 1 has been under 2.5 goals.

The Ibrox side are a team far more comfortable when playing on the front foot, and they have already shown that they struggle to keep Hearts out. The Tynecastle side have scored exactly 2 goals in each of the 3 previous meetings between the clubs this season.

Hearts games do tend to be tighter, but each of their last 3 league outings have produced at least 3 goals.

The way this one is set up, it is likely to be more of a basketball game than a chess match.

At the time of writing, Rangers are favourites to win this match but there is nothing besides the history and stature of the club that justifies such a status going into this game.

Hearts, after all, have won 13 of 17 games at Tynecastle in the Premiership this season, drawing the other 4. They have conceded only 10 goals in Gorgie.

The Gers, meanwhile, have only won 8 of their 16 away league matches this season, while their recent form against top-6 rivals in the Premiership is pretty modest. They have won only 2 of their last 6 matches against the teams in the upper part of the table.

While Rangers impressed in winning the last meeting between the clubs 4-2 at home, the Edinburgh side had picked up victories in the previous 2 matches between the teams this term

Chermiti has cut a frustrating figure for Rangers this season as he has struggled to live up to his big-money price tag for long periods before flashing into life in the biggest games of the season. The former Everton striker has 12 goals in the league this term, 4 of which came via a couple of braces against Celtic and 3 more of which were scored against Hearts when these sides last met.

No Rangers player has managed more shots on target than the 21-year-old in league play this term, and his price looks particularly healthy given the he has 1.73 shots on target per 90. Indeed, this is the best figure in the whole of the Premiership by quite some distance.

His shooting stats have been particularly good in recent games as he has chalked up 3 shots on target in each of his last 3 outings. He has at least 2 shots on target – available at 2.75 – in 6 of his last 9 appearances. On top of this, he has 3 goals, surely guaranteeing him a start as Rangers’ in-form striker.