‘We have nothing to lose’ – Hearts eye Scottish Cup upset against Rangers – BBC Sport

Women’s Scottish Cup Final: Rangers v Hearts

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: 26 May Kick-off: 14:30 BST

Coverage: Watch on BBC One Scotland and follow live text commentary on BBC Sport website & app

We had last-minute drama on the final day of the SWPL season for the second year running, so can the Scottish Cup final keep the thrills coming?

Rangers aim to bounce back from the disappointment of missing out on the title and they will have revenge in mind against Hearts at Hampden.

The offer of an historic treble for Rangers was taken off the table as Celtic struck late to top the league on goal difference

But they will be in good company if they can add to their League Cup success.

Celtic, Glasgow City and Hibernian have all done a double in recent times.

Celtic lifted the League Cup and the Scottish Cup in 2022, as did Hibs in 2018, while City bagged the title and Scottish Cup in 2019.

“It’s a big opportunity for us to have a cup double and that can be a real positive end to the season,” Rangers manager Jo Potter said.

“We’ve got Champions League football to look forward to, a potential cup double and losing the league on goal difference just shows how close we came to an excellent season.

“That’s only if we win on Sunday. If we don’t, it looks very different. We need to make sure that we are not taking the game for granted.

“You’ve got to turn up and give your all. I have no doubt the players are going to do that anyway. They’ve got the hunger and the desire to get another trophy in the cabinet.”

There will be a new name on the trophy no matter what happens on Sunday.

Rangers came close last year, losing out in a 2-0 defeat to Celtic.

They were on the end of a 5-0 drubbing by Glasgow City back in 2009 and narrowly missed out the following year with a 2-1 defeat to Hibs.

Rangers are getting used to silverware though, picking up a maiden title in 2022 and defending the League Cup this term, thumping Partick Thistle 4-1 in the final.

For Hearts, this is unchartered territory. In the 27-year history of the competition, they’ve never been within touching distance of the cup. The semi-final win over Spartans was their first visit to Hampden.

“The most important thing is to enjoy it,” manager Eva Olid said.

“Just being there is amazing. We have nothing to lose and we cannot lose the enjoyment because we are putting a pressure on ourselves that’s not real.”

Hearts finished fourth in the SWPL but were a mighty 28 points behind runners-up Rangers.

The last meeting was a comfortable 3-0 victory for the Glasgow side on 1 May but that came just a few weeks after a shock result at Oriam.

That 1-0 win for Eva Olid’s side was a first success against a top three side.

Prior to that, you have to go all the way back to 2015 to find the last time Hearts were on the winning end of a game against Rangers.

The sides have met five times across all competitions this season with an aggregate score of 10-1 in favour of Rangers.

Rangers go into the final off the back of a 4-0 win over Partick Thistle, while Hearts suffered three defeats on the bounce.

“We want to keep being the first to tick a lot of things off, we want to be the team to push it forward and we want the Scottish Cup,” Potter said.

“I don’t think the players need any more motivation than feeling what they felt last week and the potential of a cup double.”

Olid admitted that getting one over on Rangers will be no easy feat, but that April upset is fresh in their minds.

“It’s always difficult against the top three but the fact that we’ve beaten them this season helps a lot,” the manager added.

“If we had never won against them it would be difficult because they have a lot of experience, a lot of Rangers players have already played a final.

“In this scenario everything is in their favour but crazy things happen in football.”