Danny Rohl not expecting Hearts Christmas 'present' as Rangers boss excited to sample 'great' Tynecastle atmosphere
The Ibrox boss has been previewing Sunday’s Premiership clash against the Jambos in the capital
Bullish Danny Rohl doesn’t need reminding about the magnitude of Sunday’s Premiership meeting with leaders Hearts - insisting his in-form Rangers side are “feeling the confidence” heading into the Tynecastle clash.
The Ibrox club have been building up ahead of steam under the German domestically in since his arrival in mid-October and a victory over Derek McInnes’ men in the capital this weekend would see them reduce the gap at the top of the table to just six points with a game in hand still to play.
While the Jambos and second-placed Celtic have faltered of late, resurgent Rangers have gone eight league matches unbeaten. And the German boss is aiming to build on the positive “forward” momentum by taking the scalp of both Edinburgh clubs in the space of a seven days after beating Hibs 1-0 at Ibrox on Monday night.
“Of course, it will be a tough game,” Rohl said in his pre-match press conference. “Games like this are why we play football. We know we can make the next step but we also won’t win the league on the weekend.
“This is also crucial. But of course, we’re facing a team that is top of the league. That’s good, that’s great, it’s the challenge we want. There will be a great atmosphere in the stadium as well and we’re prepared for this and we’re looking forward.
“I think then we will be just six points behind them, one more game in hand. If you take this, then it could be three and then the situation will change from when I arrived to now. But we know it’s still a long way to go, still a lot of games to play.
”We have to do it consistently; we need a clean sheet. I think this is again the basic requirement. It will be a tight game. I think both teams will fight for every inch, we will put a lot of effort in. This is how they play and why they are doing well. This is the team with the most goals at the moment as well.
“Everything is there and I like to have this challenge. I think my team feel it now, you feel the confidence. The win on Monday (against Hibs) was a big one for us; it was a good start in a busy schedule. We know now the next six games are crucial until the cup game and then we’ll know exactly where we are. The first step we made so far and now it’s about to make the next step.”
Rohl: Hearts game is a chance we have to take
Rohl is aware of how stern a test Hearts will pose to his players in Gorgie as he strives for great consistency, but is backing his side to seize their opportunity after restoring faith that they can mount a genuine title charge.
“We have to take the points consistency, otherwise you destroy all the good work. I think this is crucial to continue our way. I see at the moment the team is really able to get points in this competition. We’ve faced a number of opponents; they are also on good runs in the league, and they’ve taken a lot of points.
“From this point on, we have to keep working hard, nobody will give us a present. But I’m very positive at the minute how we go, what we can improve. This was the topic also after the Hibs game, that we still have parts where we are not at our best, but even at the moment we take points. This is a good fundamental.”
Rohl provides Rangers injury update
Rohl provided an important injury update on several key players ahead of travelling across the M8.
He stated: “Lyall (Cameron) got an injection yesterday so will not be available. Bojan (Miovski) is still a question mark but we still have 48 hours, so let’s see. Nasser (Djiga) is not here, he’s away with the national team. This list of who is not available is long but then there are no new players on the list.”