Kris Boyd, the Rangers striker, has set his sights on extinguishing the powderkeg atmosphere of Tynecastle by preying on shortcomings he believes exist in a Hearts side unbeaten in the SPFL Championship and confident of stretching their lead at the top.
Boyd describes tomorrow's lunchtime visit to Edinburgh as a must-win encounter as his team are six points behind Robbie Neilson's men and he knows that a sell-out home crowd will be confident of a repeat of the 2-1 win carved out by their favourites at Ibrox on the opening day of the season.
The 31-year-old former Scotland man is looking forward to a thunderous and hostile reception, and to taking the wind out of the Gorgie club's sails. "Going and playing Hearts through there, you get the feeling their fans expect a win," said Boyd. "If you go through there and silence them pretty quickly, you never know what can happen.
"We found ourselves behind right from the off after that disappointing result [the defeat at Ibrox] and we have dropped points here and there, but I feel we have a team that can beat Hearts. I don't think they are untouchable.
"I think they have got weaknesses that we will look to exploit. We will work on that in training. Saturday is a big, big game for us and we know we need to get the three points and close the gap.
"They have nothing to lose, have they? They have got themselves in a position where they need to win their other games and take it from there. We know we need to go and win. It is as simple as that. There is no other way for us to look at this game."
Boyd is clearly excited by what is almost certainly the biggest club fixture of the season so far and insists that the prospect of stepping into the lion's den at Tynecastle is something he approaches with anticipation rather than anxiety. "It is a fantastic ground to play in," said Boyd. "The fans are right on top of you and you know it is pretty hostile. You enjoy it. We need to put on a performance to get last Saturday out of the system too. Outside of Celtic Park and Ibrox, it is up there as one of the best grounds in Scotland. The fans are on top of you, they do make it hostile and it is a great occasion for everyone. Sometimes, it can boil over.
It is going to be difficult and we know that. Every game is because it seems to be every team lifts its game against us."
Boyd is one of the more experienced players in the Rangers squad and accepts the calmness brought by the likes of him and Kenny Miller can be vital in what is sure to be a febrile atmosphere. "You know what is expected, but it does not help you go in and steamroller them," said Boyd. "When you have a bit of experience it can help, but you still need to work hard and do the basics."
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