Scottish Cup final betting tips: Rangers seek Hampden hangover cure
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Scottish Cup final betting tips: Rangers v Hearts
There will be no time for European hangovers at Hampden this weekend as we pick out some Scottish Cup final betting tips.
Rangers head into the 65th game of their mammoth campaign after losing on penalties in the Europa League final in Seville on Wednesday night.
Gers fans nursing sore heads will be doing well to get back to Glasgow for Saturday’s match, which kicks off at 3pm and is live on BBC 1 Scotland and Premier Sports.
Gers must pick themselves up
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s players could be forgiven if fatigue has set in after their disappointing late night in midweek but they should still have enough in the tank to get their hands on one piece of silverware this term.
As the dust settled in Spain, Rangers manager Van Bronckhorst said: “We are hurt and disappointed. We had the biggest game of the year but we have to play on Saturday.
“We are flying back with only one day to prepare, it will not be easy but we will do it, we will be ready for Saturday and try to end the season with a trophy.”
Hearts are lightly raced compared with their opponents and will rock up at Scotland’s national stadium to play their 48th match of the season.
In their four league meetings with the Ibrox side in 2021-22, they lost three by an aggregate score of 10-1 and claimed their only point from a 1-1 draw back in October.
It is no surprise Rangers are 8/15 in the Scottish Cup final odds with Hearts 9/2 and the draw 3/1 after 90 minutes.
Go for goals
After drawing with Old Firm rivals Celtic at the start of the month, Rangers won four in a row before Wednesday’s 1-1 stalemate with Eintracht Frankfurt. They conceded in all but one of those games and a Rangers win with both teams scoring at Hampden is 2/1.
Hearts’ timing could not be worse ahead of the big game – they suffered three straight defeats for the first time this season and the most recent was a 3-1 home loss at the hands of Van Bronckhorst’s men last weekend. The same scoreline at Hampden can be added to Scottish Cup final betting tips at 10/1.
You can get 20/1 on 3-2 Rangers and stats fans will be well aware that six of the last seven Scottish Cup finals have been tight affairs, settled by the odd goal or a penalty shoot-out.
Hearts’ unhappy hunting ground
Hearts will be desperate to avoid a miserable hat-trick of final defeats having lost in 2019 and 2020, to Celtic on both occasions.
Their success 10 years ago, a 5-1 drubbing of city rivals Hibs, at least means they have lifted the trophy more recently than Rangers. The Scottish Cup hasn’t been in the Ibrox cabinet since 2009.
Hearts’ hopes are likely to hinge on whether Liam Boyce is passed fit after he limped off in the opening stages of last week’s match due to a problem with his groin.
Boyce’s scoring has been patchy in the second half of the season following a blistering start but he is the only Hearts player in double digits in the league and has 16 across all competitions.
Boss Robbie Neilson was optimistic about the Northern Irishman earlier in the week and Boyce is 8/1 to break the deadlock and 13/5 to score at any time.
Simms eyeing another cup cracker
Ellis Simms, on loan at Tynecastle from Everton, is hotter than Boyce on current form with three in his last six and is 15/2 and 14/5 in the same markets.
Simms scored in the semi-final against Hibs and said: “It would be a great feeling if I was to do it in the final, or even if someone else was to do it. I’m looking forward to it massively.
“When I came here I couldn’t have imagined I’d have this big ending to the season to look forward to. I came here to play as many games as possible and help the team score goals.
“Obviously we’ve done well in the cup but I never thought we would reach the final. We want to go all the way and win it.”
For Rangers, James Tavernier is 7/1 to score first or 5/2 at any time. The rampaging right-back had three in three before Seville, finished the Europa League as the competition’s top scorer and is Rangers’ set-piece specialist.
Tavernier slammed home his penalty in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan while Aaron Ramsey was the fall guy against Frankfurt as the only player to miss.
Gers supporters will be keen to see this one decided long before the lottery of a shoot-out from 12 yards but if it does go all the way they are 14/1 to win on penalties with Hearts 16/1.
Rangers v Hearts team news
Boyce is Hearts’ main concern while Rangers will be without long-term absentees Alfredo Morelos, Ianis Hagi and Filip Helander.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
