Scottish Premiership: Rangers visit Motherwell on Sky Sports, action-packed midweek card broadcast live, also featuring Hearts and Celtic | Soccer News

Will Hearts remain top of the table with an Edinburgh derby win?

It’s the Scottish Premiership title race that refuses to follow the old script, with Hearts continuing to lead the way at the summit.

But can Derek McInnes’ side, who just suffered their third league defeat of the season against St Mirren last Tuesday, fight back against their city rivals seven days later?

Hearts will continue to be without injured pair Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin, while Craig Halkett, who scored the winning goal in the last game against Tynecastle, is suspended after receiving another red card for the Jambos in the loss to Paisley.

McInnes insists he will play “13 cup finals” between now and the end of the season in order to be crowned champion, but insists he has no “unnecessary anxiety” amid the tense title race.

With both teams having a free weekend after being eliminated from the Scottish Cup, Hibernian came into the game with a dramatic win over Dundee United, with new signing Ante Sto scoring the winning goal in the 93rd minute.

He will be one of a number of new players heading from Easter Road to Georgie to get their first taste of the derby. Head coach David Gray hopes his Hibs side can be “calm in the chaos” and enjoy the game.

Hibs may be 15 points clear of their rivals heading into this game, but they will be confident having won three of their last four league games against Hearts.

Additionally, only Rangers (22) have scored more points in the league since Christmas than Hibs (14). If they win again, they will move within one point of fourth-placed Motherwell.

It remains to be seen whether the leaders will take the lead on derby day or whether their rivals will end their title hopes. Either way, it’s not just about bragging rights.

Rangers on roll, but Fir Park test awaits

Wednesday, February 11th 7pm

Kickoff at 8pm

Just a few months ago, former Rangers manager Russell Martin needed a police escort to leave Falkirk’s stadium as the Ibrox club fell down the table. Everything was building towards a two-horse title battle between Hearts and Celtic.

However, his replacement by Danny Rolle has transformed the Ibrox team into genuine title contenders, unbeaten in their last eight league games.

The run, which saw Rangers pick up more points than any other club, started with a 1-0 win over their opponents on Wednesday.

Rangers have moved into second place with seven wins, just three points behind Hearts and three points behind Celtic, although their Old Firm rivals still have a game in hand.

The new players have also performed well, with three of them scoring in Rangers’ last two games. The feel-good factor is back, but will it last?

Motherwell have been known for their attacking, possession-based, free-flowing football this season under coach Jens Berthel Askou.

But just as impressive is their fur park form. At home, Motherwell have kept a clean sheet in each of their last nine home games, eight of which have been in league play.

“First of all, as long as we have the ball, it’s difficult for the opponent to score unless we put the ball in the back of the goal. We haven’t done that yet,” Askou pointed out.

“The other thing is, if we have a lot of the ball, they’re going to spend a lot of energy chasing the ball, they’re going to spend a lot of energy defending us. And if we pose a threat at the same time, they’re going to spend even more energy trying to keep us from creating chances and not allowing us to score.”

Should Motherwell feature their famous Fir Park win on Sky Sports on Wednesday and in that case would they be in the title race? Perhaps if you’re on a full-time basis and at the same level as the above, you should.

Looking at the past six league matches, they have been evenly matched, with two wins each and the remaining two wins resulting in draws. Something has to give, and the stakes can’t be any higher for both parties.

A breakthrough night for O’Neal, but will Ox make his debut?

Title rivals Celtic host bottom-of-the-table Livingston in what will be a big night for Martin O’Neill.

The 73-year-old will take charge in his 200th league game during his second interim spell of the season. He has won 163 of them so far, the most of any Hoops boss.

Many of Celtic’s highlights this season under O’Neill have been linked to Benjamin Nygren, who has scored in the club’s last four league games. The last player to score in five consecutive Premiership games in his first year at the club was Scott Sinclair 10 years ago.

From his debut season to his debut game, will Celtic fans get their first glimpse of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in action?

The former Arsenal and Liverpool player, who joined on Saturday, has been training with Premier League leaders, but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to commit to training in just a few days.

Livingston, on the other hand, knows he needs to produce his best performance of the season to come away with a win.

The Almondvale club are without a win in their last 23 league games and are firmly entrenched at the bottom of the table.

With Marvin Bartley now in charge and former manager David Martindale moved upstairs, the new man in the dugout will be faced with the same old tasks that have failed his predecessors. They have never beaten Celtic in their previous 22 trips to Glasgow.

The odds are heavy against the visiting team and the home crowd will be hoping for a big win to keep the pressure on their title rivals.

battle at the bottom

Two of the three clubs above Livingston will face off in Ayrshire as Kilmarnock take on St Mirren.

The hosts, currently managed by Neil McCann, have won just one of their 18 league games. The good news is that we picked up one win, beating Aberdeen 3-0 in our last game at Rugby Park.

Another win at home would put them nine points clear of the bottom of the table and just three points clear of the top, potentially lifting them out of the relegation play-offs.

Standing in their way is a St Mirren side who have picked up just six points away from home all season and are without a win in their last eight away league games. The only team with fewer points during this period is bottom-place Livingston.

You have to go back to May 2013 when Saints last won in the top flight at Kilmarnock under manager Danny Lennon, but can that unwanted losing streak end on Wednesday?

Elsewhere, Dundee also enter the fray at the bottom of the table but will be hoping they can forget their away day struggles at Falkirk.

Stephen Pressley’s side have won just one away game all season and have scored the fewest goals of any club at just five.

Both league games this season have been won by the home side, and Falkirk will be hoping this trend continues as they look to strengthen their grip on the top six.

The Bairns, who were promoted in the summer, have won five of their last eight league games and if they add another win to that tally on Wednesday, they could end up level on points with Hibs despite losing to Hearts the night before.

Who will win the “New Farm Derby,” which raises expectations for a top six finish?

Falkirk are the team aiming for the final top-six spot, but Dundee United and Aberdeen are also unlikely to give up hope just yet.

Both sides have games coming up, and they will face off at Tannadice Park, where the hosts have enjoyed an excellent record against the Dons.

Dundee United have won six of the last seven meetings played at the City of Discovery. It’s safe to say that coach Jim Goodwin will be hoping for a much-needed win on Wednesday after seeing his team lose their last four league games.

In fact, both teams are struggling, with Aberdeen, still managed by manager Peter Leben, having won just one of their last eight league games.

This record includes five consecutive road losses. If it ends up sixth, it would be a huge blow to their hopes of reaching that coveted sixth place.