Heart of Midlothian

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Hearts winger Josh McPake is eyeing another career highlight at Hampden on Sunday four weeks on from making his Scotland debut at the national stadium.

The 25-year-old made an eye-catching contribution off the bench as he won his first cap in the 2-1 Nations League defeat at home to Slovenia on October 6.

This weekend McPake will return to Hampden intent on victory over Edinburgh rivals Hibs in Sunday's League Cup semi-final.

"It would be up there," said McPake of the prospect of reaching his first major final. "I think making my Scotland debut was certainly the top, but that would be something that would be amazing for myself, especially with the journey I've been on."

McPake can draw on positive recent memories of facing Hibs after he crowned his impressive performance with a goal in the 3-1 derby win at Easter Road in early September.

"Obviously that was a good performance from the team," he said. "I played well and all the lads play well.

"I think when we all play well, the individuals show. It's more of a team thing, making sure we do well as a team and then the individuals can shine."

As McPake's star rises following his move from St Johnstone in the summer, the winger feels he has become a marked man, with some opponents doubling up on him while he has also found himself on the receiving end of some robust challenges.

"Yeah, I do feel that," he said. "I think just naturally the way I play it's going to be tough in terms of fouls and physicality.

"I like to be physical in the game, so I think that's part and parcel of the way I play. There's nothing I can really do about it."

We asked for your views after injury-hit Hearts were denied victory over Rangers by an 89th-minute equaliser on Derek McInnes' return to Tynecastle.

Here are some of your comments:

Jim: A great display by Hearts, the players gave their all and were unlucky not to get all three points. Great fighting spirit, roll on Sunday.

John: I'm proud of the fight and passion the boys showed against Rangers. There were positives to take from the performance and you can see the effort and desire is there. But at the same time, it's frustrating because we need to be more clinical in front of goal and cut out the mistakes at the back. These are the games where the fine margins matter, and we can't afford to switch off.

George: Hearts dominating Rangers is no great surprise, we now have a much better coach and were lucky McInnes left.

Jay: It would have been nice to have a come-from-behind win, but given our injury list is as long as the Royal Mile, players having to play out of position all over the park, and other results, I'll take that. Keep fighting lads!

Grahame: Gutted. Rangers sneak a draw with help from the referee. We get into great positions and then constantly fluff our lines. Game was there for the taking and we only have ourselves (and the referee) to blame.

Liam: With all our issues in terms of injuries and playing every three days I'd have taken a draw against a Rangers team that cost tens of millions to put together. The reality is Rangers sneaked out the back door with a point in their bag. Now on to Hibs where no complacency will be tolerated.

Watch highlights from a night of drama at Tynecastle as Hearts and Rangers share four goals. Available to UK users only.

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Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken: "We've lost two points. We deserved to win. We played a really good first half, made a little mistake and it cost us.

"After that we made up for it with the performance. For me it was never a foul [in the lead-up to the Rangers equaliser]. I don't know why he blows the whistle.

"This team keeps believing, when you see the situation we are in. We have extra games, one day less recovery, all those things matter. When you see them battle and fight for each other, that's the pleasure I have as a coach."

On Rogers Matos' first-half injury: "We don't know [the severity] yet. We have to wait for the scan."

And on that handshake with Derek McInnes: "I don't know, you have to ask him. For me, win, draw or lose, everybody works hard on the side and does the best they can, then you have to have a handshake at the end like good colleagues do."

Olwethu Makhanya's late header rescued a Scottish Premiership point for Rangers and ensured they did not lose more ground on leaders Celtic on a hostile return to Hearts for manager Derek McInnes.

Have your say on the game

Read our match report

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We asked you where the season-ending ACL injury to versatile left-back Harry Milne leaves Hearts and whether they have the depth to cope without him.

Here are some of your comments:

Paul: Very sad for Harry, who was building back to his best attacking form and beginning to really impact matches at both ends of the pitch. Harry had formed a great relationship with James McPake down the left side. I wish him a really speedy and comprehensive recovery - hopefully 2027 will see him return with a vengeance for Hearts and Harry can once again be seen as one of the best and most consistent homegrown players in the league.

Steve: Harry has not been near the level he produced last year and Steven Kingsley is a fantastic player - when he stays fit - so we have limited cover in house. Beni Baningime and Joe Aribo would be worth looking at in terms of free agency to help in the engine room until January.

John: The single worst thing about the club is our scarcely believable injury record. I can't imagine there is a club anywhere in world football with a worse record. It's been going on for over 10 years now. Nothing has been done about it. A record this bad can't just be down to bad luck.

Skye: Never-ending injuries, I would say the situation needs looked at in detail but we have been saying this for years. Harry has had a slow start to this season so happy for Stephen Kingsley to step in. Joe Aribo knows this league and would give us cover in midfield so I'm surprised his name hasn't been in contention.

Haddy: The news about Milne is as unwelcome as McInnes is at Tynecastle tonight.

Jola: Losing any squad player naturally leaves a void, that's why you have youngsters ready for that chance. Hearts will strengthen, they have to as the bar and expectations have been raised. I'm not saying they'll win the league but I expect them to get stronger and be challenging more frequently with time under this regime.

Tennent: This further proves my point, why are we not signing free agents? We're lucky if we have any defenders left healthy by the end of the season!

• Rangers boss Derek McInnes has won just one of his past 10 Scottish Premiership away games at former side Hearts (D4 L5), a 2-1 victory with Kilmarnock in October 2024.

• Hearts have won three of their past four league games against Rangers (L1), as many as their previous 31 in the top flight beforehand (W3 D6 L22).

• Rangers have lost both of their past two league visits to Hearts, last losing more in a row in March 1986 (4).

• Hearts have won 11 consecutive home league games by an aggregate score of 25-4. Indeed, Hearts are unbeaten in 25 league matches at Tynecastle (W21 D4) since a 1-0 defeat to Dundee in April 2025.

• Rangers have only lost one of their past 14 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W10 D3), a 2-1 defeat to Hibs in May last season.

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Hearts are again without Harry Milne (knee), Christian Borchgrevink (hamstring), Oisin McEntee (muscle), Stuart Findlay (groin), Ageu (muscle), Craig Halkett (Achilles), Blair Spittal (shin) and Tom Renaud (ankle).

Rangers remain without Ross McCrorie, Cammy Devlin, Lawrence Shankland (all hamstring), Youssef Chermiti (knee) and Daisuke Yokota (groin).

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Wouter Vrancken has been speaking to the media as Hearts prepare to face former Tynecastle boss Derek McInnes' Rangers on Wednesday night (20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines:

• Vrancken confirms Harry Milne has an ACL injury and is out for the rest of the season: "It was hard for him. I spoke with him, but he has made peace with it."

• Christian Borchgrevink is unlikely to be fit before the international break and Stuart Findlay remains out on Wednesday. Blair Spittal is expected back before Christmas but fellow long-term casualty Tom Renaud, who has resumed running, is set to be out until 2027.

• Vracken acknowledges he must manage the squad's training load but says making it "too light" would increase the risk of further injuries.

• On McInnes' first return to Tynecastle since his summer exit to Rangers, Vrancken insists Hearts must keep focus on their game and not be sidetracked by "emotions".

• He adds: "We want to win the game, even with the injuries. We want to put confidence in the players who are on the pitch and in the squad tomorrow. There's always the noise that you have to cancel or avoid, and just focus on what you have to do."

• Asked how much of advantage McInnes' knowledge of Hearts will be to Rangers, Vrancken says: "I don't know - ask him!"

• He points out Hearts now play a "totally different style" and says: "I think a lot of players who are playing now were last year's subs."

• On whether he will look to bolster his injury-hit squad with a free agent signing, Vrancken says: "This is for other people. The games are coming so fast that I have to put my energy in the games and the players who are fit."

• The Belgian is proud of the character his players are showing amid injury troubles and a busy schedule: "What I see the players doing is stepping up and taking the responsibility and not finding excuses."

• Victory over Rangers - who sit four points ahead of third-place Hearts - would be a "big boost" for the Tynecastle side but "not decisive" so early in the season.

• Wednesday night marks the 'Foundation of Hearts day' and Vrancken says the club's fan ownership is "something special", adding: "Hopefully it will be a good result there so that you can celebrate even more."

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Harry Milne's season is over after Hearts head coach Wouter Vrankcen confirmed the versatile left-back has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The 29-year-old sustained the damage on the eve of Hearts' Conference League defeat at Trabzonspor last week and scans have now revealed the severity.

Hearts fans, how big a blow is Milne's long-term absence? Does the squad have adequate cover?

Share your views here.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

In a weekend where Storm Boelo caused havoc across Scotland, Hearts navigated the choppy waters of the past seven days about as well as anyone could have hoped.

A respectable 2-0 defeat to Trabzonspor with a threadbare squad was followed by a first league win outside the EH postcode in nine months with a 2-0 victory at Motherwell, to ensure the week ended on a positive note.

After the bruising defeat by Celtic, it was important for Wouter Vrancken and his players to respond, particularly during such a demanding run of fixtures.

Two matches in the next five days could help define Vrancken's Hearts legacy: Rangers at Tynecastle, then the Edinburgh derby at Hampden on Sunday for a place in the League Cup final.

Wednesday brings Derek McInnes back to Gorgie for the first time since he stepped off the bus to address supporters after the league decider at Celtic Park. It is safe to assume the welcome will be rather less warm than it was that day in May.

Hearts may have fewer points than at the same stage last season under McInnes, but I doubt many supporters would rather go into this match with him in charge.

That is not because McInnes was unpopular. Jambos simply prefer the football Vrancken wants to play and we can be reasonably confident he has no great desire to manage another Scottish club, which increases his reverence from those of a maroon persuasion.

We also know how McInnes' Rangers are likely to approach this game: a 4-4-2, one to one marking and a reluctance to press Beau Reus on the ball, much like his Hearts side played against the Old Firm last season. If I can see that coming, Vrancken certainly can.

Team selection remains an injury tombola, but the approach should be easier to forecast: Hearts will look to attack Rangers from the off.

That game may take care of itself. The Hibs tie worries me more. Given their dreadful start to the league campaign and poor record in Edinburgh derbies at Hampden, they have virtually nothing to lose.

On the bigger pitch, with more space to exploit, Hibs will try to force mistakes and break quickly. The decisive battle will be in midfield.

If Hearts control that area and cut out the individual errors, I am confident we will reach the final - and that this will become Vrancken's favourite week so far as Hearts boss.

Hearts are preparing for more injury woe this week as they await scans on defenders Harry Milne and Christian Borchgrevink while they may have to wait another month for midfielder Oisin McEntee's return. (Edinburgh Evening News, external)

Celtic-supporting former winger David Templeton has revealed then manager Neil Lennon tried to persuade him to snub a move to Rangers in 2012, but Hearts said he would not play for them again if he did not accept the six-figure transfer and instead waited to run out his contract to join their Glasgow rivals. (STV Radio Football Podcast, external)

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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It's not the first time in recent campaigns that Hearts have found themselves plugging square pegs into round holes to cope with a mounting injury list.

After overcoming a pile-up earlier in the season, head coach Wouter Vrancken has been hit by his second mini-crisis caused by absentees.

Eight first-team players are currently crocked - five in defence and three in central midfield.

Christian Borchgrevink injured his hamstring in Trabzon, while first-choice left-back Harry Milne suffered a serious-looking knee injury on the same trip.

Hearts were already without centre-back Stuart Findlay and defensive hybrid Oisin McEntee for the trip to Turkey, with neither travelling because of groin and calf problems respectively.

Brazilian midfielder Ageu has suffered another injury, described rather mysteriously as a "muscle injury", while Blair Spittal and Tom Renaud are both out longer term with ankle knocks. Craig Halkett's return date following a ruptured Achilles remains unknown.

There are only four fit defenders on the books for Vrancken to choose from, yet he has picked one of them in midfield for each of the past two games.

That's because Jordi Altena has been preferred to partner Tomas Magnusson, with regular midfielder Laurent Mendy also nursing a niggle. Altena, more often seen at right-back, played in midfield at times last season and also did so in his native Netherlands.

"The middle of the pitch is a real problem area, the amount of players they've got out injured," former Hearts player Andy Halliday said on Premier Sports. "My argument is, I actually think Jordi Altena is better in there. Defensively, at right-back, he gets caught out at times."

That has meant Rogers Mato, the Ugandan winger known for his speed, has had to deputise at both left-back and right-back. So far, he's kept former Liverpool star Mo Salah and Motherwell's left side fairly quiet, earning plaudits in the process.

"I don't have a choice!" Mato joked in his post-match interview. "It's the manager's choice - look at the injuries.

"I need to be there for the team, to help them in any way. I'll play any position and give 100% to help my team-mates win.

"We just need to give it our all, whoever comes. I'll play against Mo Salah, I'll play against anyone."

It's quite the attitude, and it shows why Vrancken trusts him.

"Mato is somebody you can count on," he said. "You see in the one-v-one duels, he is the best offensive player in those situations. I'm really happy he played a good game again."

He's not wrong. No Hearts player made or won more tackles than Mato at Fir Park. He was involved in more duels than any of his defensive colleagues, winning eight out of 11, while still creating two chances.

While Calvin Miller did well at left-back in earlier wins against Dundee United and Inverness this season, a place in the backline now seems to be Mato's to keep.

We asked for your views after a depleted Hearts side secured a rare away win at Motherwell on Sunday.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Jim: A gutsy performance from a makeshift Hearts XI that keeps us in touch with the top two in the league. The weather conditions were awful and contributed to some wayward passes and missed chances. However, we appear not to have added to our long injury list and hopefully can put a strong team on the park against Rangers in midweek.

Graeme: A very good, battling away performance in tough conditions for Hearts. A lot is made of our away record, and it should be better, but with Sunday's win we now have the joint third-best away record in the league this season, behind the Old Firm, so it shows that away wins are hard to come by and not many other teams are doing much better! It sets up a big one at home to Rangers on Wednesday.

Richard: Somehow, we are still throwing punches and winning rounds - a true testament to the squad and the work ethic the manager has built. The players are performing miracles, all things considered. Bring on Hearts B on Wednesday!

Liam: Another 17 attempts on our goal and, if not for very poor finishing and decision-making from Motherwell, another cricket-score defeat could have occurred. Wouter has to address how shockingly bad we are out of possession and how easy we are to get at if he wants to progress this side.

Steve: Relieved to get the three points. Claudio Braga worked his socks off, and Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Stephen Kingsley did a sterling job, but we badly need someone capable of playing right-back, otherwise we'll get hammered on Wednesday. Stephen Kingsley is capable, and Calvin Miller has covered at left-back before, but we need a tighter defence.

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Are Hearts destined for "another really strong season" under Wouter Vrancken? Former Scottish Premiership midfielder Kevin Thomson believes so.

Following a humiliating 7-1 defeat at Celtic and a European away defeat to Trabzonspor, a depleted Hearts side responded with a hard-fought win at Motherwell on Sunday.

Former Rangers and Hibernian player Thomson referenced that Hearts face a demanding schedule after qualifying for the Conference League and reaching the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals, where they will face Edinburgh rivals Hibs.

But he was full of praise for Belgian coach Vrancken, who has overcome a challenging start to his reign.

"I think the new manager's come in and changed the whole style," Thomson said, pointing to the significant turnover of players in a squad that came within minutes of winning the title last season.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, he added: "To then have almost a whole new squad and do what he's doing, I think, is testament to him being a good manager, and I think Hearts will have another really strong season.

"To have to go to Celtic Park last week off the back of a European night was probably the worst fixture you could have, and obviously Celtic put them to the sword.

"You could argue that maybe a 7-1 scoreline flattered Celtic a wee bit and was a wee bit harsh on Hearts.

"But I think they're a good team. I still think it's going to be a really hard season for them, and I did feel that, if Hearts were going to have any sort of serious credentials domestically, they would have to go to Motherwell and win, and they did that."

Watch Hearts secure a rare away win at struggling Motherwell. (UK only)