Rangers v Hearts - Scottish Cup final preview

The disappointment of missing out on the chance to win the Europa League is behind Rangers as they prepare to face Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Cup final.

The club missed out on their second European trophy after a penalty shoot-out defeat.

A week had passed since Hearts lost to a shadow Rangers side in the final game of the season.

The Edinburgh club finished third in the table, one point behind Glasgow, but the gap between the two teams was 28 points.

Rangers will be strong favorites to win a fourth successive game over their capital opponents and lift the world's oldest football trophy for a 34th time.

Should physical and emotional exhaustion kick in for the men in light blue at Hampden, Hearts will hope to benefit.

Both sides have already qualified for the group stage. If Hearts fail to make it through the middle-rank tournament, they will be guaranteed a Conference League section.

Having lost the league title to city rivals Celtic, and having a promising season come to an end without a trophy, Van Bronckhorst's side are under particular pressure not to finish without a trophy.

How to follow the final

Team news

Borna Barisic will miss the final with an injury that forced him off at the end of the Europa League final.

Jon McLaughlin will start in goal instead of Allan McGregor, while Ianis Hagi and Alfredo Morelos are long-term injured.

Midfielder Peter Haring and forwards Liam Boyce and Ellis Simms are in contention to play after sustaining knocks last weekend.

Craig Halkett and John Souttar have returned from injuries, but Beni Baningime is out for a long time.

Pick your starting XI. You can either go for the team you want the manager to pick or the one you think he will choose.

Pick your starting XI. You can either go for the team you want the manager to pick or the one you think he will choose.

What they said

The game was tough but we had a good recovery today.

We have to support each other as a family in order to be ready for the final. I have a lot of faith in my team despite the fact that we did not get the outcome we wanted.

It would be weird to change Jon because he did well in the semi-final against Celtic. He will have the confidence from me.

I have a rough idea of what my team will be. Having played five or 10 games in the past, you want your full squad to be ready for it. We do not have that.

It is a case of deciding who is in form, who is coming back and is fit enough to play, whether they start or come on, so there are a lot of different aspects to look at.

The road to Hampden

Match stats

• Rangers last won the Scottish Cup in 2009, beating Falkirk 1-0 with Nacho Novo's goal to lift the trophy for a 33rd time.
• Hearts claimed the cup for the eighth time 10 years ago, when they thumped Hibs 5-1, with Rudi Skacel scoring twice.
• Since then, Hearts have lost in the final to Celtic in 2019 and 2020, while Rangers lost 3-2 to Hibs in 2016.
• The two sides last met in the final in 1998, when Hearts won 2-1 thanks to a Colin Cameron penalty and goal from Stephane Adam, with Ally McCoist replying for Rangers.
• Rangers prevailed in their three previous cup finals against Hearts - in 1903, 1976 and 1996.
• The Ibrox side have played in three previous finals on 21 May and lost all of them - 1-0 to Aberdeen in 1983 and Dundee United in 1994, then 3-2 to Hibs in 2016.
• Rangers are unbeaten in all four Premiership meetings this season, winning three, with an aggregate score of 11-2.
• Hearts finished the season on a run of four games without a win, losing the latest three.

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