Results had tailed off for Heart of Midlothian before they entered a tough-looking set of fixtures, starting at Celtic Park.
After opening up a gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 2-1 win there, they extended it the next week with a win at Falkirk.
Now Hearts face two difficult tests that could go a long way to determining how the rest of the season pans out.
An away Edinburgh derby is on the horizon but before that they face a Rangers side unbeaten in 10 league matches since the teams last met.
Craig Cairns looks at how Rangers have changed under Danny Rohl, how Hearts could approach the game and where the key battles could be.
A more pragmatic Rangers
One of the reasons Russell Martin is no longer in charge of Rangers was his inability to change his principles.
The last encounter between these teams at Ibrox saw the home side try to build play patiently. Hearts picked their moments to break and came away with a thoroughly deserved 2-0 win.
Since Danny Rohl took charge, Rangers have been much more pragmatic. It is not the style of play, or anywhere near the quality, that their fans demand, but they are now getting results that previously eluded them.
There is a begrudging acceptance, for now at least, that the German is doing the best he can with the hand he has been dealt.
Rohl rotated his squad for the win over Hibernian on Monday night and it isn’t exactly clear how he will line up his side. James Tavernier should return along with, fitness permitting, Nico Raskin. However, striker Bojan Miovski has been ruled out with an injury.
It will likely be a back three, though with Nasser Djiga off to AFCON with Landry Kabore and Burkina Faso, just exactly who plays isn’t nailed on.
They are far from the finished article, the recent performances against Falkirk and Hibs show that, but there is no doubting that the Rangers team has improved in almost every department on the pitch.
Hearts approach
As for Hearts, it’s a good bet for Derek McInnes to stick with the same side that has recorded consecutive wins, other than the enforced change at left-back due to Harry Milne’s suspension.
As was the case at Falkirk, there could be a tweak somewhere in the shape, but we expect it to be largely the same again. One factor will be Stephen Kingsley providing a little less drive from left-back but, as McInnes pointed out, the 31-year-old has moments of quality that you perhaps don’t get from Milne.
Milne pushing forward usually allows Braga to play closer to the middle alongside Lawrence Shankland but don’t be surprised if the Portuguese is again looking to hit the spaces in behind the wing-back like he did at Celtic Park.
And while it won’t affect how Hearts approach the game from open play there is no doubt that, despite Kinsgley’s quality from dead balls, Milne’s dangerous inswingers will be missed from corners.
As we argued ahead of facing Falkirk, it is difficult to make a case for dropping anyone from this side after recent performances.
What changes could McInnes make? One possibility is a back three, although bringing in another centre-back would mean sacrificing someone from the front three or the midfield, neither of which seems desirable.
It would also push either Michael Steinwender or Oisin McEntee into the wingback role.
An argument could also be made for Christian Borchgrevink, in a back three or a back four, but again it would be harsh to leave out the Steinwender after recent performances.
The defender did well against one of Falkirk’s main threats in Ethan Ross and a similar performance will be needed against the strong left side of Rangers who have Mikey Moore and Jayden Meghoma linking down that side.
Key battles
Magnusson v Raskin
Tomas Magnusson has come to the fore in recent games and, speaking exclusively this week to Hearts Standard, McInnes spoke of the different roles he has played in midfield.
Against Celtic, he was asked to do a specific job out of possession and was key to helping his side get up the pitch when they had the ball.
A similar role may be needed against Raskin, although you would expect Hearts to see more of the ball than they did at Celtic Park.
The Belgian midfielder had been dropped by Martin the last time the sides met and has shown how key he is since his return.
The main playmaker in the Rangers midfield, he is the one that McInnes will identify as the player in the middle of the park who will always be closely attended by a maroon jersey.
And since Raskin is more inclined to take the ball in his own half to start attacks, Magnusson could be the man tasked with making sure he is kept quiet.
Steinwender v Moore
The biggest threat in Rangers’ front three is their teenage forward on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. Moore had a difficult start to his time at Rangers but has shown some form in recent weeks, most notably in the win at Kilmarnock.
He’s still a bit raw but has the ability and the physicals to make something happen out of nothing.
Steinwender, meanwhile, has had to be patient this season. When he wasn’t in the starting XI, he was a constant on the bench until a few weeks ago when he sat out two matchday squads.
He returned to be part of the team that has extended its lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to six points. After a slightly rusty start at Celtic Park, he was flawless before another assured performance in difficult conditions against Falkirk.
Steinwender’s height, strength, pace and one-v-one defending will all be required against Moore.
Read more
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Braga v Aarons/Tavernier
This one will be determined by where exactly Braga plays and who Rohl decides to populate his defence with. Going by recent line-ups, Max Aarons looks likely to continue at right-wingback and James Tavernier could come in as the right-sided centre-back.
Even if he does start more centrally, Braga likes to run into the channels. Whether from there or a left-wing position, he could look to exploit the space behind Aarons and drag Tavernier out wide.
Braga is back among the goals and Rangers are fragile, despite their unbeaten league run. They are without central defenders John Souttar and Derek Cornelius due to injury and Djiga who is away on international duty.
