Tam McManus has made an admission on the Scottish Premiership title ahead of the game between Rangers and Hearts at Ibrox.
Many believed that Hearts were early-season pretenders, but in mid-February, they find themselves five points clear at the top of the SPFL table.
Rangers had a chance to reduce the gap to three points, but were held to a 1-1 draw against Motherwell on Wednesday.
Tam McManus believes Rangers can be knocked out of the SPFL title race
McManus believes that the game on Sunday is an “enormous” one for Derek McInnes and Hearts.
In his view, if Hearts can win or even draw, they will knock Rangers out of the title race.
A win would see McInnes’ side go eight points clear of the Gers, while a draw would keep the lead at five points.
The top-six split will happen in a few weeks, but taking that into account, McManus does not see a way back for the Ibrox outfit.
He told PLZ Soccer: “They’ve got an enormous game on Sunday.
“They can all but knock Rangers out, possibly even with a draw.
“Rangers need to win that game [to stay in the title race].”
How Danny Rohl can win the tactical battle against Derek McInnes
Hearts have built a solid side with their Moneyball approach and McInnes has ensured that his midfield has been extremely tough to play against.
It is important that the Gers look to disrupt their rhythm on Sunday and not allow them to take control of proceedings.
This could mean Rohl asking his players to press their opponents high up the pitch and make things difficult for them.
Ryan Naderi is also expected to start in place of Youssef Chermiti and this would give the hosts an out ball and a target man inside the penalty area, which could be the go-to avenue for goals.
