Predicted line-ups: Why Tagawa deserves Hearts chance v Rangers

Saturday's 1-0 victory at Rugby Park ensured that Hearts won four Premiership games on the bounce for the first time in years, but Steven Naismith's side will need to raise their game once more if they are to take any points off of Phillipe Clement's title-chasing outfit.

Below, our writers talk us through their predicted line-ups for Wednesday night's clash - and, for once, they are in total agreement about what the team selection should be.

READ MORE: Why 4 away wins in first 14 is Hearts feat and Steven Naismith's 'winning mentality'

Joel Sked

Steven Naismith has spoken of being flexible with systems and personnel. However, with the way the team are defending and how difficult it is for opposition teams to create good chances, the back three looks like it is here to stay and understandably so. It has delivered with Saturday's win over Kilmarnock displaying some important qualities with the defensive and nitty gritty side of the game. Hearts will need that when coming up against the Old Firm.

Some of the players pick themselves, whether it is due to form or injuries, while others, namely at right wing-back are situational. Alan Forrest had struggles against St Johnstone, while Yutaro Oda looked uncomfortable there in his 30 minutes at Rugby Park. Toby Sibbick has performed well in his last two appearances off the bench. He would give the team more solidity against an attacking opponent. What is key here, however, is that Hearts ensure the wing-backs don't get pinned in and it becomes a back five with the team struggling to get out. 

Cammy Devlin is another who showed up well off the bench but he will miss out as will Liam Boyce most likely following knocks sustained. That means the midfield three will likely pick itself after working well as a collective at Kilmarnock, plus Alex Lowry being unavailable. There will be an onus on Jorge Grant getting up in support of the front two.

Naismith will have a call to make between Kenneth Vargas and Kyosuke Tagawa to partner Lawrence Shankland. It is hard to look past the latter. Not only did the Costa Rican miss out with a knock at the weekend but Tagawa performed well and provided Hearts with a real threat in behind. The most encouraging aspect of his 30 minutes off the bench in Ayrshire was a willingness to run in behind.

Predicted line-up: Clark; Kingsley, Kent, Rowles; Sibbick, Cochrane; Baningime, Devlin, Nieuwenhof; Shankland, Tagawa.

READ MORE: Naismith's show of faith and bravery on ball - how Hearts overcame Killie threat

James Cairney

Naismith looks to have settled on the 3-5-2 formation in recent weeks, and I can’t see the Hearts head coach deviating from the shape for this match. The extra defensive solidity provided by the structure has played a vital role as the team have chalked up four wins on the spin, picking up three clean sheets in the process. Rangers will offer a far greater attacking threat than Kilmarnock, St Johnstone, Motherwell or Livingston did, and so I think sticking with the current formation is an easy decision.

The back three picks itself at this point, particularly with this match coming hot on the heels of an excellent defensive display at Rugby Park on Saturday. Kye Rowles, Frankie Kent and Stephen Kingsley are surely nailed on to start, as is Alex Cochrane at left wing-back. The opposite flank is a little tricker, but I think we could see Toby Sibbick come in to replace Yutaro Oda. The Englishman is more of a natural defender than Oda or Alan Forrest – something I believe could tip the scales when Naismith is selecting his starting XI.

Beni Baningime continues to go from strength to strength in the No.6 position, and the former Everton midfielder will surely retain his place in the line-up – after all, no one else in Hearts’ squad can do what the 25-year-old can. I think we would have seen Cammy Devlin restored to the starting XI too, were he not ruled out by injury. As a result, I reckon we’ll see Calem Nieuwenhof and Jorge Grant hold onto their places in midfield. The latter has struggled to make much of an impact in the last two games but he will need to shoulder the creative burden in midfield with Alex Lowry unavailable, while the former provides a touch more physicality and is more of a well-rounded player. Both players will be key to Hearts' efforts of keeping a hold of the ball.

Up top, Lawrence Shankland will lead the line – that much is obvious – but the question of who partners the 28-year-old in attack is an intriguing one. Liam Boyce has impressed there over the past few games, but the injury sustained during Saturday’s win at Kilmarnock makes the Northern Irishman a doubt for this one. Kenneth Vargas started in both of the losses to Rangers earlier in the season without making much of an impact, and so I think we could see a rare start for Kyosuke Tagawa. The Japanese forward offers more of a direct threat, and has the pace to get in behind and disrupt the Rangers defence, and so I think we could see him involved from the get-go on Wednesday evening.

Predicted line-up: Clark; Kingsley, Kent, Rowles; Sibbick, Cochrane; Baningime, Devlin, Nieuwenhof; Shankland, Tagawa.