Heart of Midlothian boss Derek McInnes has confirmed a ‘disappointing’ injury setback ahead of their vital Scottish Premiership tie against Rangers.
Hearts set for crunch Rangers meeting in epic title battle
Hearts travel to Ibrox on Sunday chasing another statement victory against Rangers, yet McInnes’ title-chasing squad faces mounting injury problems threatening their remarkable title bid.
The Tynecastle outfit sit five points clear atop the standings following Wednesday’s dramatic Edinburgh derby triumph over Hibernian, with Tomas Magnusson’s 88th-minute thunderbolt securing a precious three points to maintain their astonishing momentum.
McInnes’ men target becoming Scotland’s first champions outside Glasgow since Aberdeen’s 1985 triumph, and Hearts’ first champions since 1960.
Sunday’s Ibrox clash represents enormous significance despite McInnes insisting ‘win, lose or draw it doesn’t decide anything’.
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Hearts already beat Rangers 2-0 away earlier this campaign and secured a 2-1 Tynecastle victory during the festive period, proving they possess the quality to trouble Danny Rohl’s side.
Ahead of their biggest fixture remaining, McInnes revealed today that Craig Halkett returns from suspension following his St Mirren red card, whilst Christian Borchgrevink comes back into contention after completing training sessions.
Like we relayed on Thursday, and now confirmed by McInnes, Hearts star Cammy Devlin is targeting a February return, yet Kilmarnock in March is perhaps more realistic to be on the safe side.
“If you speak to Cammy, he’ll say he is close. If you speak to the physios, it’s a wee bit different,” McInnes explained to reporters.
“But I think he’s probably scheduled to be touch and go for the Aberdeen game. Which is at the end of the month.
“We’ve obviously got two weeks after that. And that would probably be more likely that he’d be fit for the Kilmarnock game.”
McInnes also revealed that talismanic striker and captain Lawrence Shankland is in line to return in March as well, but left-back Stephen Kingsley is now unfortunately sidelined for even longer after a fresh injury blow.
Hearts dealt ‘disappointing’ injury blow after Stephen Kingsley update
Speaking to the media, the Jam Tarts gaffer confirmed that Kingsley has suffered a fresh calf injury and will be out for five more weeks.
“A wee bit of disappointing news. We had a wee issue with Stephen Kingsley. He picked up a calf injury,” he said.
“So, he’s probably going to be out for another five weeks or so. Which is disappointing. But other than that, Cammy, Lawrence, Calum Nieuwenhof and young Finlay Pollock are still working away.”
The 31-year-old hasn’t played since Hearts’ 3-2 defeat to Hibs in the Edinburgh derby back in December, previously carrying a groin problem, but Kingsley now has a completely separate issue to recover from.
Kingsley featured heavily during their blistering start to the season, providing defensive solidity and attacking threat down the left flank before his initial January injury.
His prolonged absence forces McInnes into relying on makeshift solutions, including centre-backs, to fill the left-back slot.
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It comes right after their precious Edinburgh derby win.
