Hearts will be looking to bounce back from Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat when they travel to Rugby Park on Saturday.
Who should be in the starting XI to face Kilmarnock?
Put yourself in Steven Naismith's shoes and pick your starting XI here.
Hearts defender Nathaniel Atkinson tells his team-mates they perhaps "have to go through the hardships" like Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Rangers to inspire them towards success. (Record), external
Greg Playfair
Fan writer
You can’t say Sunday’s defeat to Rangers was unexpected, but I can’t help feel it was a missed opportunity.
Of course, a few pints deep after the trip along the M8, I like many thousands of Hearts supporters had the beer-goggles vision and optimism we could beat Rangers if we played to our capabilities and they were under-par.
There was justified ground for optimism given the travails Rangers have had recently with just two victories from their last eight matches, but one thing I had overlooked was the fact that they have defeated us on all five previous encounters this season.
Rangers didn’t have to be at their best; they just needed to contain Lawrence Shankland. It was so obvious in that game with a nullified Shankland, our attack was fairly meek and truth is we could still be playing now and I don’t think we really would have threatened Jack Butland in the Rangers goal.
Add in the fact I don’t think either Rangers goal was well worked; even with Cyril Dessers’ first strike, there will be two or three Hearts defenders thinking they should have done better and stopped him slaloming his way through our defence.
I don’t think we played as badly as some Jambos have reacted with on social media, I just feel that we lacked the belief we could get back into the game with the early setback and Shankland marked out the match.
I feel that if we had a more physical target man to call upon; like Rangers have with Dessers and the other two semi-finalists Celtic – with Adam Idah and Aberdeen with Bojan Miovski – had, things might have been different and we would have had a focal point to aim for.
It shouldn’t be lost that this season has still been a success, with guaranteed European group-stage football all but confirmed, the most away league wins in over 30 years and having reached two cup semi-finals, potentially losing to the eventual winner in both competitions.
We need to finish the season strong, to carry the momentum generated in the last five months to ensure we start well in both our European and league efforts.
As long as we avoid defeat to Kilmarnock on Saturday, we will be guaranteed third place and that should be our immediate focus. Achieving this will mean we can perhaps blood in a few fringe players or youngsters before the summer transfer window.
Greg Playfair can be found on the @OorWeeChat Podcast., external
Heart of Midlothian defender Stephen Kingsley says the "young team" at Tynecastle "will only get better with experience". (Record), external
Image source, SNSFormer Hearts defender Ryan McGowan says the Tynecastle side's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers was a missed opportunity.
Steven Naismith's side went into the game having lost just one of their previous seven games, while Rangers had lost to Ross County and drawn with Dundee in the week before the tie.
However, Cyriel Dessers' early goal put Philippe Clement's side in control, and the Nigeria international scored again in the second half to knock Hearts out.
"That early goal definitely settled Rangers down and got them into that groove," McGowan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.
"But with Hearts, the way they've been playing, the players they've got, the season that they've had, it was a real opportunity for them to go down and put a marker out there and really give it a proper good go.
"Kind of like what Aberdeen had done on Saturday against Celtic - give it a real effort and a real go.
"I think a lot of Hearts fans will probably be coming back from the game being a bit like 'it was a good performance but we've seen this movie before'."
Listen to the full episode of the podcast here.
Image source, SNSFailure to get off to a fast start was again Hearts' downfall in their Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers, says midfielder Jorge Grant.
A goal after five minutes from Cyriel Dessers made an uphill task more challenging almost instantly for the Gorgie side.
Hearts suffered from a similar lapse in February at Ibrox when Mohamed Diomande's second-minute opener prompted a 5-0 drubbing.
"We wanted to start fast and didn't do that," Grant said. "Unfortunately we've given them a goal again like we did last time.
"We're disappointed with the goals, especially the first to put us on the back foot. We've got to start better, that killed us [on Saturday] and last time we played them.
"It's little moments we need to tighten up on."
We asked for your views on Hearts' Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers.
Here's what you had to say:
Andy: As usual the tactics were wrong. We let Rangers have an extra man in midfield and never changed the set-up. They were there for the taking but we failed yet again.
Max: Hearts have an inexperienced manager and a patched up squad. They have done really well this year; next year will be the crunch. That will make or break Naismith.
Chris: This game highlights the mentality needed to compete at the top level; we just don’t have it. We have no real spark, Shankland is blowing cold and if anyone thinks third place in the league is a gimme then watch this space. It’s going to be a nervy run-in.
Ian: Started so slow again, it's criminal. What do the players need to be told to be up for it from the start.
Kuptin: Predictable. Recently, Naismith has been pretty good at reading games and reacting to adversity, but I think the problem was weakness in midfield, not up front. Grant, Devlin and Baningime were simply overrun. Maybe Hearts missed a bigger physical presence there - Haring, for instance, even Cochrane. Perhaps Spittal will help next year.
Steven Naismith says Hearts, including 18-year-old midfielder Macaulay Tait, can only benefit from another bruising Hampden experience against Rangers. (The Scotsman)
Read the rest of Monday's gossip.
Hearts fans, were you at Hampden to see your side lose to Rangers, or were you following along from home?
Either way, we want your thoughts on the game. Have your say here.
Image source, SNSAll season, Cyriel Dessers has copped criticism from both pundits and Rangers fans alike, with questions raised particularly over his ability in front of goal.
However, he now has 19 goals in all competitions, and he came up with the goods when it mattered on the biggest of stages.
The good and bad of the Nigerian were both on show at Hampden. He picked up wonderful positions, roughed up opposition defenders, while also missing several chances alongside his two goals.
Todd Cantwell also deserves praise for the way he impacted the game. He constantly found pockets of space and set up both the goals.
Steven Naismith said the defeat highlighted Hearts' "immaturity", and he will be deeply frustrated by their profligacy on the day.
They have kept pace with Celtic and Rangers in terms of league points in the second half of this season, but have now lost all five of their meetings with Rangers this season.
It is a record Naismith will be determined to end as soon as possible.
Image source, SNSHearts head coach Steven Naismith tells BBC Scotland: "It's really frustrating. Got off to a terrible start. It's not good enough. From that moment to the second goal, we played a lot of goof stuff, created a lot of good chances.
"Then, it's another moment that takes the tie away from you when we had a chance of putting them under a lot of pressure. On the day we gave up poor goals. You could tell our immaturity in the final third, the decision making, the three, four, five good situations we were in, we never made the right choice. That's the part that let us down today.
"It'll come with experience. From the summer until now, we've come a long way. We've changed the way we play, we do a lot differently and we've made good progress.
"That calmness comes. Today wasn't our day to have it but we'll learn from it. We're a young squad, we've done loads of good stuff. These moments hurt because we feel it's a missed opportunity.
"We can be really frustrated but the bigger picture is we've made big strides. We came up against one of the best teams in the league, played good football to break them down and make opportunities. Then it's decision making, that's the biggest thing that cost us today."
Four changes for Rangers and one of them jumps off the page.
Connor Goldson has been dropped and will be replaced at centre-back by Leon Balogun.
Elsewhere, Mohamed Diomande returns in midfield, as do attacking duo Rabbi Matondo and Cyriel Dessers.
Tom Lawrence, Fabio Silva and Kemar Roofe drop to the bench. No Ridvan Yilmaz in the squad again.
Image source, SNSThree Hearts switches following their comeback win against Livingston last weekend.
Stephen Kingsley replaces Alex Cochrane at left-back, while Alan Forrest and Kenneth Vargas come into the attack.
Barrie McKay and Yutaro Oda are the two forwards who drop to the bench as Craig Gordon continues in goal.
Image source, SNSRangers: Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Balogun, Sterling, Lundstram, Diomande, Cantwell, Matondo, Sima, Dessers.
Substitutes: McCrorie, Goldson, Silva, Lawrence, Dowell, Roofe, Barisic, Raskin, McCausland.
Hearts: Gordon, Atkinson, Kent, Rowles, Kingsley, Grant, Devlin, Baningime, Forrest, Shankland, Vargas.
Substitutes: Clark, Oda, McKay, Cochrane, Denholm, Tait, Fraser, Tagawa, Lembikisa.
Image source, SNS
Hearts have never beaten Rangers at Hampden, though did prevail over the Govan side in the 1998 Scottish Cup final at Celtic Park.
Rangers last won the Scottish Cup in 2022, beating Hearts in the final in extra time. It ended a 13-year wait to lift the trophy and marked the 34th triumph in the competition.
Kenneth Vargas has scored in all three of Hearts' previous rounds in this year's Scottish Cup, making him the club's top scorer in the competition (three goals).
James Tavernier has scored in both Rangers' visits to Hampden this season. The Ibrox captain's first came from the spot as his side saw off Hearts in the League Cup semi-final, before scoring the winner in the final against Aberdeen.
